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Knocking People s Trousers Down Just Uke In The Film The Mega Drive version made unimagrable amounts ol money because, it seems, there s nothing people l*e better than a swish and lun platform game (with rktferenl levels lo break ii up), and whai wiih the programmer's track record and Ihe evidence so far presented, ihere s nothing at an lo say this won t be as a big a hit on the Amiga etc etc etc Because it is a Good Thing. Or is if Or IS if OR IS IT’ UneJ next month. Inend reader, when we shall tell • JONATHAN NASH TO THE DEATH - AGAIN! octal Kombat 2 IS coming out on the Amiga Acclaim had previously declared they would no longer be publishing Amiga games, and Amiga conversions ol their games, including Mortal Kombat. have been handled by Virgin But because the AcrianWirgm partnership has been rather quiet lately, it was lea led we d never gel lo see the sequel to the unpleasantly gruesome beat-'em-up However. Acdaim have ust announced they'll be publishing Ihe game themselves, and developers Probe aie said io have almost finished Ihe conversion.

worthy third instalment In the series, and Guardian. the best C032 game ever. And I personally am feeling quite jolly. If that helps. Jonathan Davies, Editor

month

Charlie J Cool Club Football-The Clue------

Embryo

FIFA Int Soccer----56

<>n The Ball League--64

' 'verlord-—-46

I Inball Illusions-38

1*0A European Tour—-52

I (obinson's Requiem-54

Rugby League Coach—58

.You head up

ivesti<

Starlord

F1CP-

Gunship 2000-

Rick Dangerous-------

Rick Oangerous 2— Body Blows AGA-—— Morton Strikes Back

THE

ULTIMATE

CD32!

From US Gold.

Black Dawn 2

Chilly Chaves.....

Danger Mouse —

Pipeiiner-------

Scottish Football

AND A VCR!

From Microprose.

Page 87

—

—

Wl

V

CAM WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY: 1 am r .• Ht.ii, m ayartdef cU. '

STEVE F WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY: vw.wi tfotsrt Mbm * W

Regular readers will have recognised the pair ol blue plastic squares attached the the Iront of AMIGA POWER as our coverdisks. Others may have mistaken them for components of a sinister device designed to destroy the world We can reassure them that this is not the case.

• Oh no! Are you sure Before you go any further. Iry (he procedures described In Ihe panel over Ihe page. If. slier all that, you do have disk problems, chuck It In an envelope along wilh an explanatory letter and an SAE (or you'll nevar hear from them again), and return It NOT TO THE AP OFFICE but to: AMIGA POWER Disk Returns 43. Dlscopy Labs. PO Box 21, Daventry NN11 5BU. If you send It to ui. we ll load It Into a high-allitude bomber and drop it on your granny'a house.

AMIGA POWER NOVEMBER 1004

POWER NOVEMBER 1QA4

YOUR DISK AND YOU

■ IAB THIS 111 FIRST OR NOONS WIU TAKI ANY NOTKi OF YOU WHIN YOU SAY THAT YOUR DISK DOISN'T WORK.

• To load any ol the games, all you have to do Is switch off your machine. Insert the disk, and switch your machine back on again.

• An options menu will appear. Simply follow the Instructions to load the game of your choice.

• Just to be on the sale side, though, the on-screen Instructions say that you should press the appropriate function key to make your selection.

• You'll have to reset your machine In order to play one o< the other demos. When you do so. simply follow the Instructions above.

• Remember to keep the disk you are playing your game from In the drive at all times. And remember -switching the machine oft for 20 seconds or so before loading a new program will help prevent disks being Infected by stray viruses.

• Have a good time.

OH NOI SOMITHING WINT WRONOI

• Are you sura

• Try all that stuff again, making sure you've disconnected any peripherals the program might not like’, such as external drives.

• H your disk (alls to load, then pop it in a padded envelope, along with a letter explaining the problem and an SAE. to:

AMIGA POWER Disk 43 Returns Dtscopy Labs PO Box 21 Daventry NN11 SBU

• We're really hoping that you're reading this bit. because H’s quite Important: pleasa don't send your disks to us at the AMIGA POWER office. We really don't know how to fix dodgy disks, and we'll jusl throw 'em straight In the bln. So send

AP\ them to Dlscopy. Pleasa.

Author: 21 st Century

Each and every day bnngs lodh a well ol knowledge, a fountain of tacts, a cascading waterfall ol new and shmy concepts that bathe us in ihe<r indescem glow of aii encompassing enlightenmeni This month lor example, we an (bar the pmhatiishfyomniicient Steve) found that pinball tables lend lo have stones behind their ludicrous llippery antics Slones like ihe one behmd Ihe table' in our demo

But before we gel lo lhat story, we'd like to reassure you. our readers, that we is not biased against ASOC and A600 owners It's not our tault that 21 st Century aren't planning to release Pnbar Illusions on your machines And. A1200 owners -it's not our (auk the game loads, sits ihere lor ages and then loads again It’s ihe data decompressing, or something Why don't these people put. Please Wait Decompressing' on ihe screen Eh But anyway Once it has siaded. you've gol inlnite balls and live minutes lo rack up' a high score’ before the game ends.

Press F1 lor one player or F2 lor two (and so on up lo eight) lo - a ha ha ha - gel

the ball rolling'

THE STORY

The Story's all about lulure cops and lufure villains and takes place in the luture. You beat the villains by going on missions, and you go on missions by first

'shooting the ramp ol the mission you want (the ramp light Hashes) and then hitting the start mission' ramp Easy The missions themselves require you to hit certain targets', which light up' so you know what to do Don't know what we're going on about Examples, then

DRUG BUST The Drug Bust mission (kke most ol them, actuary) is played against the clock Shoot' the lit ramp (the right one) lo break down the drug dealer’s door (or something) and then shoot' the lit targets' lo clear each floor ol the building If you gel to the root, you can shoot the pnson target to put Tricky Blighter Johnny Crack behind bars Splendid

PRISON BREAK - Capture up to SO pnsoners in squad cars by tutting largets' and bumpers' Sick five of them into the C4y Jail every time you he it and gam a Stocking SO million bonus' (That's enough quotes' - Ed) it you jail them all within the time kmil

RIOTS Riots break out al over town as the mutbbail (nature locks m You've gol to hit all the lit ramps to stop the nets Each ramp stops the nois in a sector and stopping the nots lights the Super Jackpot, worth 50 rmlion if you hit the City Jail within 15 seconds Which you won't

The other missions follow a Similar vein. Foiiow the advice ol the animated board al the top of the table, and you can't go wfong Don't forge! that pressing H puts you m hi-res mode (so you can see more ol the table - invaluable with mothball), while bashing L switches back to low-res big-o-vision And one last thing - the multiple! Loop Ihe ball around the lop tamp to multiply pomts You then get a smester animation showing a lawman shooting fleemg suspects And it you get more bonuses, the violence level escalates (it ends up with him fmng a bazooka at them, or something )

So that's stones m pmbalt games m a nutshell We've recently heard rumours o( Pnbat Classics. but 21st Century reluse to be drawn From what we can gather. Wuth'Rm Heights features a fOx mulbpker rl you (as Heathditt) take over the house: and you can score an astonishing 20 million bonus if you bust Oliver Twist out ol the workhouse m the Gruel n" Fools table We can only hope that the rumours are true Remember, we bring you the news first

Author: Renegade

II we run through this very quickly, we rr.gm just about gel at I he relevant bits m. so here goes. In this EXCLUSIVELY SCOTTISH demo ol SWOS. you're shown all the options Iron the finished version but you'll notice that mosi of them are grey This means you can'i use them H you choose a friend!/ then you can p.'ay a normal game ol Sensi Soccer against either another player or the computer But Of course, SWOS isn't about [ust playing football. It's also about

managing .earns

If you select 'demo league’ you can opt to be either the manager or player-manager ot Aberdeen (It you're a player-manager. you also have to ptay the games Natch The management side's a brt cut down in the demo, actually, so you're better off going lor this option ) In the pre-match buM up you can view the tactics (but can't alter them; and have a browse at other teams around the world

MONEY

For each match r your league, you can opt to watch it or usl be given the result

Irnkj Ml foe Dm keeper

Alter a lew rounds' examination of the stats' screen, you should be able to work out which ol your players are no good and which players on other teams you'd like. Players can be bought or pul up lor sale on the Transfer1 screen and you can see how wel you're dong Iranoalfy on the 'dub business' screen Depending on how useless you aie. you! either make it to the end ol the '/ear or be sacked but either way you're told to go out and buy Sens&e Wotid ol Soccer Ths. ol course, is cruel and dangerous advice, as it's not yet finished and consequently unavailable n the \ shops Sc lake \ heed, keen and excited Sensible Soccer tar. wail until Y -you read the review in UB AMIGA POWER beloie \ running lo the shops and \ breathlessly asking tor V your copy Do not attempt V pre-emptive purchasing. Icr * that way madness hes

T«rtKi mekt *n Med MV

IK

Author: Martijn Slam Reinwardtstraat 10 2041 VD Zandvoort Holland

What with the whopping SWOS demo on the same disk as Swede Machine, we've had to do ail manner ol disquieting computer/ things to this demo to get it to fit It has beer («i the

so-called technical so-called yargon ot Amigaspeak) archived and must therefore be unarchived' before it will work To weave this unusuaty 20th Century magic, you need a blank formatted disk It you select Swede Machme on the menu option and then follow the on-screen prompts, the machine will amazingly tell you everything rl requires ol you Almost AS

IF IT WERE ALIVE Almost AS IF IT KNOWS SOMETHING YOU DON'T It's al very simple but sNI tar too technical lor us. so we whimpered a bit until someone Irom Amiga Format came and dxt it lor us

The game itself is a bit ot harmless tun that encourages you to blow away cute and smiting (but gun-totmg) ammais We've tong since believed that Walt Disney intended

to take over the world with his mighty yet twee empire, and it comes as a gieat reiiel lor us to be able to fight back with lockets and machine guns

Author Martin Siam hopes that any software companies out there will immediafety employ him and that

anyone smitten with vengeful hate agamsi cute animals wll send him £5 to receive both the ful game plus a copy ol hts next venture The address is at the lop and you know who you are Those are the tacts, and Wait Disney >s dead

AMIGA POWER NOVEMBER 1994

Putty Squad

Ihis iswhot me experts say:-

'Putty Squad is quite simply the BEST......* Amiga Power

'......The Game is Fantastic" CU Amiga

"System 3 have outdone themselves" AMIGA Action Oct '94

"The graphics ore absolutely lush. The animation is top notch. The gameplay and difficulty levels are > just about perfect and the attention to detail is staggering..." Amiga Format September '94

"ThinV of i«vrtrv gsvvj gam* superlative and apoly it to Putty Squad.

Puwtostk giupfakscmd-socmd; awesome oJdktivtwtt ond refir * d ' i

gameplay its got the ioi AMIGA Power ieptembei 9h i

Go buy it from al good stores

Once again the hard-bitten team of professional in' sti r c iom sts that man the AMIGA POWER news desk have bitten then c shard foryou.

They’re back! And this time they’ve got faces.

LEMI

Runs on: A500, A600.

A1200

Publisher: Psygnosis Authors: DMA Design Release: Late November

4 s the last ot the lemmngs scrambled aboard the ark. squeaking with rebel, a senes ol huge explosions rocked the island they'd /ust fled Trees crashed to the ground n flames, and lava poured from gashes n the earth The ark slowly moved out to sea. its decks packed with lemmngs They had food and water tor /ust a tew days, so they would have to hope the wnds earned them swiftly to a new home

i 4c 4- c t 4i 4 4V

Itaaiip kk»rfcio 4 Iraki „ hiiMimMnmmi.

. - •. *

---—■—

■Lemmings 2 was just a iinie bit loo complicated tor some people, so lor lemmngs 3we re Simplifying things a bit; explains Psygnosis s Mark Day He's relernng to the way Lemmngs 2 players had to keep scurrying back to the manual to find out which ot the 52 available lemmng-skilts were required tor the task m hand Lemmngs 3 will have a very limited range at skills, but they’ll quite a bit mote flexible than you might be used to seeing.

In tact Lemmings 3 looks like a mote mainstream game all round The lemmings are now bsgger. and thus less fiddly You can even see the expressions on their faces There are now baddies, loo Some, like the Psycho Buzzard and

A more 'mainstream' game all round1

the Potato Beast, will attack lemmings I who warder oilo their path The (oh dear) lam Fatale lures weak-willed Lemmings to their destruction. And others can help solve puzzles - the mole, tor example, will attempt la tunnel out ol any area you might block him mlo. which might be handy it you're low on Diggers And only three ol Lemmings 2s twelve tnbes have survived - the Egyptian, the Shadow and the Classic ones The overall look ol the game is bigger, bolder, more detailed more colourful more plattormy. somehow

But that essential puzztey Lemmings gameplay will remain. Although there's only a limited range ol ■cons to dick on - ump. block and so on - there's an important one called use loot You see. scattered around the levels you II lind tools which lemmings can pick up and use to get to the exit Look out in particular lor bombs, grenades and Street Fighter 2 style fireballs There are bricks

as well, which they can colled up and then build things wilh It might sound complicated, but Mark assures me it's Simpler and more instinctive than Lemmings 2

tl

A icr.44. Wkk cunnlnsh di.joUed L option for fou k

rf.

And. in another novel twist, there aie already some Lemmings scattered about the level when you start a. in addition to the ones who come pouting from the entrance They ve gat la be rounded up end rescued, with you ideally ending the level with more Lemmings than you stan w4h Large numbers Ians wdl be raassuted to Know that there 90 levels -30 per tnbe - and you can solve each group ol 30 m parallel, tumping Irom one to another it you get stuck

'Perhaps best ot alt. though,* concludes Mark, 'is the action replay oolion ' How many times have you almost sotved a Lemmings puzzle. only lo mess it up nghi near the end'7

In Lemmings 3 you’ll be able to rewind' to the port where you went wrong and try again, without having lo go nghi back lo the beginning. *You won t be able to complete the game that way. though,' says Mark. "That would be loo easy *

Lemmings 2 is scheduled lor release in November, and you'll be pleased to know that AMIGA POWER will bnng you the lirsl review, and also an excellent (and exclusive, ol course) coverdisk demo Meanwhile, here are some pictures ot the PC version (which we have no reason to suspect will took any afterent lo the Amiga one)

(Pro viewer tussles vat an By with huJkmg enforcers from sinister Mousketeer Hri Spued, but is overcome and thrown in back ot van Pause Muffled gunshot Pause Prenewer emerges Irom van, but appears subWy different, asif. tor example, he has been replaced by lookakke shorn ot violent anb-Osney opinions about, say. the Aim Beauty and the Beast which was at about how A doesn't matter what you look kke. bul how you are inside, and at the end the Beast turns ktto a white middle dass North Amencan, or the him The Lion King which is merely an amalgam ot successful characters and ideas from other Disney films and utterly bared of ment

apart from the calculated abikty to make enormous Sums Ol money )

Hurrah, a Disney-based game Not only that, but a Disney-based platform game converted Irom the Mega Dnve original (and not Irom the SNES version which fiddled around pomflessly with the graphics and dropped Aladdin's swordfencing antics in favour ot jumping on people s heads, or something).

Furthermore, a Disney-based

platform game converted from the Mega Dnve original by the programmer ol Putty Sduad. so its pedigree is assured It's an each level depicting a scene Irom the film' thing, bul the p'artorm structure s been broken up with some different sub-levels, like the one where you're Dying a carpel through a collapsing cave, or the one wheie you're swinging on stalactites above a lava Dow All the graphics have Actually Been Taken From The Original Genuine Animation Cels and It does indeed look lovely. I've had a go of the first level, and it s very swish and fun and everything (if annoyingly dependent on leaps of faith at times) with lots ol lumping, swinging or ropes, hanpng from poles and

Knocking People s Trousers Down Just Uke In The Film The Mega Drive version made unimagrable amounts ol money because, it seems, there s nothing people l*e better than a swish and lun platform game (with rktferenl levels lo break ii up), and whai wiih the programmer's track record and Ihe evidence so far presented, ihere s nothing at an lo say this won t be as a big a hit on the Amiga etc etc etc Because it is a Good Thing. Or <s if Or IS if OR IS IT’ UneJ next month. Inend reader, when we shall tell • JONATHAN NASH

TO THE DEATH - AGAIN!

octal Kombat 2 IS coming out on the Amiga Acclaim had previously declared they would no longer be publishing Amiga games, and Amiga conversions ol their games, including Mortal Kombat. have been handled by Virgin But because the AcrianWirgm partnership has been rather quiet lately, it was lea led we d never gel lo see the sequel to the unpleasantly gruesome beat-'em-up However. Acdaim have ust announced they'll be publishing Ihe game themselves, and developers Probe aie said io have almost finished Ihe conversion.

Mortal Kombat 2. as you'll undoubtetfy realise, is basically another one ol Mortal Kombat It’s got all your lavounie characters Irom the original along with a whole bunch ol new ones There's now Shang Tsung

(Morphbloke). Jax (EthmcminontybJoke). Kurvg Lao (Hatbloke 2) Bakara (Moustachebloke). Kitana (Farrwomar) and Mileena (Knlewoman) And as well as ihe legendary fatalities, you can now do things called babalihes.

poniess 30 hinnei vtsion view, with no mystical orbs wchOtendnjrnshcks.no Uxmous desenpbons ot table legs, no recnjtng partes ct wamors a nns. no twig lo go lo sleep at night, and no gemng killed by bumping nto wals a the daw It s got a bnghi. cheery atmosphere (rather than gloomy. lomh-W caves), amusing characters 10 dial lo (rarer than ores or denes), and an rventrve storytre (rather than that one about Mbng a curse from a bighied land) You can he a

I*

WKi u'

In which

your

characters

answers or

anything T1ys mghl not sound too taxing, but means the game untoids rather like rearing a book Its a technique that works bnSantty a Zeh3a and a long 1st ol other Japanese oonsote RPGs. but is success a Legends wil depend on whether the storytne's strong enough and the characters are cokxiriul enough (Resale's Tm James IWd us ot then plans tor a 0032 version where the on-screen text is also read out verbally, but when we

fury of...

KANGAROO COURT £w

NO. 6

I AM ZORG, X .

EMPEROR OF

ARRBAAK

THE CRIME: Having a lantasy plot to a RPG or adventure because, like, you have to, and so driving the games even further into the pedantic, unapproachable niche they so obviously struggle to esespe

THE CASE FOR THE PROSECUTOR: (Scene - a software shop Enter Bitty Fan and Graeme Friend.)

' Welcome to the world of Fantasy RPG 8. H Is e lime ot greet evil. Sexinrexln. the previously unmentloned son ol the arch-mage Raxlnfraxin killed at the end ol the last game, has brought his lather back to Ilia by maeni at the Rite of Tltket-Tasket Together they have sworn vengeance upon the peace-loving people ol The Land. With the eld ol the dreaded dual-headed dragon Dixdastardlax. the tinlster pair has

locksd with powerful magic, and only the good witch Crapnama can break the spell. But no one ha* seen Crapnama •Inca the Year ot the Collapsed Dog. Perhaps someone In the many towns you must pass through knows ol her whereabouts, and may tell you It you perform some task tor them. But beware! lor soma ol the citiaens may be Saxinraxin't teeth, given ghastly IHe by Ihe sorcerer s Incantations ol Literal Personification. Legend hat It that these grotesque creatures can be daslroyed by weapons forged In the dwarf mine at Underiord Bearded Shortbloka - If you can find It

'Tarry not In your Journey, for if you (ail lo save the princes* before the Festival ol the Triple Conjunction, then she will become ■ kitchen utensil lor evermore end The Land will be lost to Raxlnfraxin, Saxlnraxin. Ou dastard lax and their vicious hordes of killer ores * Giueue Friind: Aaarghh. (Hurts sett

detested The Land's greatest hero Twax and kidnapped Princess Breasts. In despair, benalicant King Stupid has once again turned to Aduckquax. the Plot Master, and hi* band ol mltmatched (but lovable) desperadoes.

"YOU era Ihe Ptol Ussier, and up to three ol your friends can Join your band ol mismatched (but lovable) desperadoes even If they are girl*.

"Success in your quest will not come easily. Raxinfraxin hat summoned an army of toul beings from the depths of Hell lo guard hit castle In tha lar northern wastes ol The Land, and Ihe path is sure lo be riddled with traps and dangers. The castle galea are

under bus.;

Billy Fur: "Fantasy RPG Aleituree a revolutionary new 3D modelling routine which, combined with gameplay perfected after yeari of looking at other companies' adventures and aeking players what they wanied. make* this the best RPG aver.' Zounds. The Irony.

up and start piayrtg without having lo wade trough a theft manual and decqjher loads d cons, but there's enough to it to keep you occussed lor weeks

Zetda on the SNES, maybe1 Yes

And yet. at the same tme. no It s also Legends, or it wd be (

Knsaks s plans come lo truAon Legends ddn't actually start out as a Zektea ihe, but Xs land ct evolved that way. and the brts I played looked absolutely great

Lite Zekta. Legends ts an arcadey athenturey type ol game, viewed Irom above, a whch your character ans around kAng badekes and laikmg to goodes The (along be basicaty involves just waSung up to people, pressing lire a lew times and readng the dialogue that results - there're no muhpie choree

frowned concemecty. he tkd Ikevwse Onky irttte sprites with big. grown-up voces are jusl wrong, somehow, and its much easier SAnpty to read stuff off the screen )

The ptol, then, is based on the idea thal aliens aduaty created the earth lor the* own amusement, and Xs all got a be peaceful and bonng lor them So they've transported modem weaponry back through lime lo spee thngs up a W And you've got to go back a tune to sort things out This leads lo an adventure across tour tme zones - Egyptian. American IrOan, Ctwiese and Arthurian - lakxig a the legends' IgedckT ) ol each one

Legends has all the makngs ol a wAner And. gosh, with Team 17 planning someflvng along svnkar lines (see page 18). jaded Amiga RPG players could soon see the cobwebs talkng away Irom their keyboards, and the dawn ot a whole new way ol dong (Tangs Wei mss Azxek the Murderer and hrs pais Bui not much

Stop press' Knsaks jus! phoned to say they've added a a Space invaders subgame. a whch you're an Egyptian being puked Irom sxle to s>de by men with winches, and you've got to shoot scarabs and things Phew • JONATHAN DAVIES

The phrase 'A major chart topper *1 Germany* lends ta send a shrver down AMIGA POWER'S collective spine It generaty means, rt our experience. thal we re about to have to review some sod o( obscure Strategy game whose publisher wi most Italy stale us vwlh ndignanl taxes when we suggest that, although < may have appealed lo Teutonic tasles. it rrvght not setae qtrfe so comfortably on the pallet) es of AMIGA POWER'S largely British autonce HopeluBy Ihis won t be the case wkh Oktmer ("major review scores et German/l. although we have to admit that we view the prospect of a tum-o<-the-century car designrvg simulation, r whch The payer tus lo read quddy to social and poihcal changes*, with some concern However

The only bit at the game we ve played so tar (is still m its embyonc stages) is the raong sector, where you get lo test your

designs m cross-country rallies And t looks superb, using some sod of texture-mapping system to provide amazingly smooth. Ide-lta 30 graphics The hills and things are a M clunky (the pictures on the page are Irom the PC version, which is much more detailed), but Christopher from Max Design reckons t should look much better by the time they’ve fir-shed t In lad. he even showed me a crude fkghi sm he'd knocked up usng the same system, in whch a helcopter skimmed over h*y. smoothscrolling terrain it was most mpressive And then there ate the manage me nty bits The idea is that you're running a car tadory during the period 1886 lo 1939 - the dawn of the automobile age You ve got to cope with new nnovations as they arise, rvest money n research, and maintain an iron rule over your workforce. The PC CD-ROM version's also got a reference sector with film lootage and stud. The ordnary Amiga version won't quite be able to manage thal. buf presuambfy any CD32 version would be able lo pack t all n It couid be great, and it couId be Defrorfall over again We've no idea • JONATHAN DAVIES

COMMERCIAL BREAK 1 2

(Scene - A beech. A woman of ■ wtafeviiMn—i age standi on the send. srrtBnp She is wearing a leotard end leggings.)

that lists the newest and most exciting areas ol the Intormallonsupermolorway! And ill from Future Publishing1 (A man with a dog walks into the shot in the background. He stops and looks towards Doty.)

poll, il was lei) lhal Ctiemptonshp Manager is probably the best football management game on (he Amiga (in an if-that s-lhe-sod-o(-Ihmg-you-like kind cl way) So Ihe announcement ol Championshp Manager 2 is a cause for celebration indeed Improvements will include malch highlights with a full commentary. Scottish League and international management, a new player exchange system, and chants from rival Ians. Its noi coming out till March next year, though.

MORE BALLS THAN PINBALL ILLUSIONS

1t‘s got a multiball feature1* That's 21st Century's big boast about Pmbai iiusions And they're right - you can have up lo three balls bounong around the table at the same time

‘Pah * retort Team 17 'Team 17 Pinball, whch is coming out next Easter, will have anything up lo eight balls on the table at once In fact we could have a 64-ball facility if we wanted, without it slowing down * they continue, 'but lhal would be silly * Team 17 Pmbaks other novel leatuie will be a dot matrix display at the lop ol the screen that you can play little mni-games on. just like the latest real pinbal tables

VROOM!

I(room lives' AMIGA POWER S lavounte arcade raong game rose again earlier this year as FI. and next March it's scheduled to transmute into FI World Champtonshp Edtton This'll meoiporaie ihe 16 circuits Irom the 1994 Formula 1 World Championship, and lots ot new features like a Virtue Raong-style Irom behind-the-ear view, weather '

effects, spins and slides, and, according lo Domark. ‘adilcia! intelligence based around Ihe 1993/94 driver and team performance'

E NEWS

It you've got an A1200. don't tail to miss Ihe AGA version ol Jetstnke It's basically the same as the CD32 version we reviewed last month at 81%. but a bit more expensive. £30. m lad.

FRIGHTENING

triemaehrea)

Dolly: This used to be mat (She holds up a photograph ota tat woman she has cieerfy never met ) Dolly. But now I reed Net magazine every month!

(She holds up a copy ol Net magazine and points at it Her smUe akps stightiy. but la swiftly checked)

Dotty: H's all to do with the Internet, which AMIGA POWER exhaustively diseeded in AP41I Its got lots ot gatUng-tha-most-out-of-il type features questions and answers, and a directory

Easy

Intern**

(Her smile broadens still further, she winks, and the action freezes. J

Dolly: So read Nat magazine!

(The man in the background gathers up his dog and runs info the see. not stopping until the water covert his head.) . i _ ■

Dolly. I did -

and look at me „ 0 A

now)

CORNER

III seemed kMe couid be more disturbing this year than the large, larged, poorly-paid teddy bear men ol Theme Park But then thxs amred Purporting to advertise a new game "where young children can have lun leamng about music,* Ihe picture at a soli day bunny with overlong limbs, a vacant smile and vastly dialed pupils, knuckling a piano keyboard and apparently having no lower body, lit against a crimson backdrop beneath tvs own name SCRAWLED CHILDISHLY IN CRAYON stressed us lo no small degree. We are afraid now

Ask any sel(-respecling manga Ian which a their lavounle Japanese cartoon and they'll usually tell you it's Akira "The production standards are supert. the cinematography stunning and the story amply tar superior to anything that's come out since.' they'll say Ask them what EXACTLY happens in the and sequence, though, and they'll gel all embarrassed and change the subiect to something sale, such as how Crying Freeman drrves a white Ford Capo Akita the movie certainly has its tans, but there's not a man jack ol them that knows what it s all about

The task ol converting this mghtmansh vision ol a Tokyo destroyed, rebuilt and destroyed again onto the Amiga has fallen upon ICE. who have inevitably plumped for a combination of piattorm and sideways-scrolling sections Now. before you slop reading and grumble about how Mm licences B are ALWAYS piattorm games. > say.'Hold on a minute and think about it." Much ol the movie takes place either on motorbikes or AA B

plays What we do know is that there're 20 levels with ditfanng IB gameplay. and that the giant TL Kadensa corporation ol

Japan have been breathing dawn ICE'S , necks tor over a year and a hal making sure that it's a game worthy ol L R the Akira name The

' -j I game totows the film, so ■ 1 you start oft on a

M motorbike ard progress through sewers, streets and hospitals until you arrive lor the climactic showdown with the harking \ mad and not quite human \ Tetsuo, and even the weird

dream sequence involving giant teddy bears and gallons at milk has been converted to an odd hallucinatory platform level (hooray)

Although the standard Amiga versions will have animations at the beginning and end only, the CD32 one's packed with bits ot the movie and you get a tittle clip alter every level Combined with muse and sound laker from the movie, cute manga-type graphics and the promise ol initial release copies being bundled with T-shirts and badges, it could well end up as a moody and collectable

little number. But will it be any good, thought Well, we can only hope that having a brooding Japanese company looming over them has kicked ICE into gear aftei their abysmal Total Carnage conversion, but as always, we advise you to read AMIGA POWER before rushing out. just in case what's delivered doesn't approximate ic what's been promised But then again, dare demo ichmen ni hitotsu jutsu toshi o tonmasu. right kids'5 • CAM WINSTANLEY

SPHERICl WORLDS

Like Ihere'J any oTher kind11 Like there's cube ones ot sausage-shaped ones or flat ones'’ What a silly name However, we on AMIGA MAGAZINE SHAPED POWER realty

don't care what a game s called as long as it's a good game, so let's take a look at the latest otfenng trom the unusuallymlormatively-titted 8tack Legend Croatia who. it you hadn't guessed, are the Croatian division ol Black Legend Obviously.

Oh. it's AJien Breed then, only with robots instead at aliens and a little lanky thing instead ol the little waddiy bloke. Well hey. it you're going to np off (Sorry, typng error That should read "base your game loosely on" - Ubet Sensitive Ed) an ensting game, you might as well go lor a game that's sold quadngAons of copies And before Team 17 get at huffy and Stan to complain about the certam s<m4anties

(Ategerfy -Ed) between Spheres/ Worlds and Abort Brood, let's point out that all Ahen Breed games are nothing more than Gauntlet clones So there

Anyway, the demo version we've been sent looks tike a cross between Abort Breed and a fairly old and muchunderrated budget release called Gsiacbc Wamor Rats The top-down perspective lays all the rooms out in map-like detail, but shaded ramps and slopes give at least a passing impression ol depth as your little (ank-lhng struggles hard to gel up them

Having little robots and tanks instead ot humanoid figures probably makes K different enough Irom Aben Breed la avoid law suits, but it also misses out on the familiar setting

of Aben Breed. People tend to enjoy shooting at recognisable targets, so liMe tracked widgets and remote tanks ate a poor substitute tor screaming, squealing aliens. The scenery also suffers Irom that same lack ol lamihar objects and. indeed, any sense of scale. In Men Breed you see tables, chairs and all that happy stuff, but n Sprtencal Worlds the robots could either be tiny or the size ol buildings You jusl don't know

That's ongnality and graphcs dealt with, so what about the gameptay1 Wei. it's a tot like - you've guessed it - Aben Breed with keys to Imd. doors to open, mazes to wander around and baddies to shoot Numbers ol levels and variations m gameplay haven't been linaitsed yet. but ■t seems fairly certain that Sprtencal Wortds a going to be a (7iomago to' -Ed) Aben Breed, and I think I'll be a fairly bland one at that Is this going to sell-’ Well, if it's set at a suitable price then maybe, bul with Aben Breed Totter Assault just around the comer. I'd say it's going to have a tough light on tis hands • CAM WINSTANLEY

Have you ever played Zakla on the Super Nintendo We have. It's a Japanese RPG/adventure type game which dispenses with action points and awkward 30 views, and instead presents Itselt more as an interactive storybook - as you walk around chatting to other characters, a story gradually unfoldt. It's great (Super Play gave It 93%). And no-one's ever done anything like It on the Amiga

Until now.

Or - all right then - nest Easier, when Team 17 will be releasing Wltehwood, their tribute to Zekta II uses the same overhead view as Zakta. but with larger, mare detailed characters. And. as long as they also manage to capture Zekta's oddball Japanese charm. It should be really good. It looks like Krlsalia have the same Idaa too I see page 13).

The mightiest just got mightier.

Here are the average monthly sales ol AMIGA POWER and its rrvals between January and June 1994. as officially recorded by the Audit Bureau ol Circulations:

Amiga Action 4G.129

The One Amiga 40.645

Wilcfcwood

Which means that AMIGA POWER Is still the world a biggesl-selling Amiga games magazine - and by an even more enormous margin than ever before.

TRUE STORIES

RCIAL BREAK + MYSTERY SCREEN SHOT ♦ AP RECOMMENDS

(Scene A white void Huddled on me ground sits a group of temfied ctuidten. casting no shadows A down stands over them)

Clown (gnnneig stickily): Hello children Children: Whimper

Clown: Today we re gong to learn the CD32 Magazine Song

(He reaches into tvs comcatfy oversized coat and pt*s out a serai, which he unroMs to

uveal the words to the CD32 Magazine Song An unseen pianist plays a three-bar

ntnducbon)

First child (shakily): With ■ CD32 game review here Second child: And a playing guide there Third child representing an arbitrary ethnic mnonty): It's got a covermounted CO containing 12 playable demos

Fourth child: And some leatures on FMV and the SX-1.

Fifth child: Sob

(The kkirth child elbows h*n m the its)

Fifth child: It's the new issue of CD32 magazine liom Future Publishing, in your newsagent now at £4 95

Children (humetty): There's nothing quite like CD32 magazine

(As they blurt out the hnai words, the chMren scrabble to their /eel and run. pursued by the down, who has dropped the songsheet and puled out a meat deaver)

Atloundlngly, Issue 41* Mystery Screenshot has. In common with the original entry, been Identified as coming from a console game.

Silpheedon the Mega CO, to be exact Why does AMIGA POWER sppear to be the catch-all receptacle for loose console transparencies We are. strangaly, unable to answer.

However, we can reassure contused readers that such an insxpliceble disaster will no longer dog the resilient heelt ot Mystery Screenshot Corner. In a typically arrogant subversion of the original concept ot the column, this month's Mystery

rm '!!*!'•

I ■ :

s’ ■ —

r.l

Screenshot Is already wall known to us. But can you Identify this somewhat obscure Amiga game trom the merest visual clue of an artificially darkened picture Address your confident guesses to Well, At Least Rigging the Question Ensures A Game From The Correct Format, with the usual continuation.

As an aside, the previous winner was again. Improbably coincidentally and yet legitimately randomly, Jason Newington of Eastbourne. Jason will shortly receive another mystery prize of great value lo place beside his

first Or perhaps the morally Indeterminate i * nature ot our

puzzlingly rebellious . column will embrace Hint-hearted ness and withhold his reward. Only he and the dimensional aberration that <* Mystery

Screenshot Corner shall ever know.

RECOMMENDS

The five best games from the last couple of months. Buy any of them and thank us.

Team 17 (AP42 89%)

Buy this, the most beauNui game on the Anvga. and you'll also gart the benein ol a dramatical spruced-ip version ol Asteroids tfs goI oxtra weapons and some menaong bosses, but the rock-shattering basics remain untamed so 4 s just as compulsive as the agng con-op Plus, after each set d levels there s an breathtakng (and hard) bnnef sequence We thought it was maybe a be easy (especially after the gruesome toughness of the ongnal Stardust) but no less entertarvog lor that

EA/Bullfrog (AP42 91%)

If you played last month s AP Theme Park demo, you! know why we gave BiArog s fun ta* smutalor the tvghesl mark we ve grven any new game so tarttvs year (apart from Puffy Squad) You won t have been able lo play with loaercoasiats. employ security guards lo lend oft vandals, or re-order ce-cream to set to the putAc at ndoiousiy rftaled prices, but youl have had hours of fun laying down parts bufdng ndes and shining We peopfe about and youl be itchng to gel your hands on the fi game Do SO

IPUTTir

BQU.j\D

System 3 (AP41 91%)

The platform game <s dying murdered by a thousand dreary. 4-conceived Sonc repleas, and these days serves only lo keep K tgaroo Court suppled with ddc design Haws O so we thought irtf we played Putty Squad It s as fresh as a daisy, bubbling with new ideas, frothng with tumour, and with an almost inexhausuble supply of levels to pay It you played and er oyed the ongnai Putty, this is ooh. at least twenty times as good

Renegade (AP42 88%)

tfs not abstiJeiy dear what leekngs Rut1 n' Turtle 6 trying to evoke - the hero's cute and bfond-haued. while the baddes are ai mean and metaftc - but what rs lacking n atmosphere 4 makes cp lor with meticulously thought-out gameplay and siper-skek presentation While its bitterly hard to play. I never once k*s you unfarty. so if you lose you ve onty got your own shortcomings 10 blame

JIVSVRIKI

Rasputin (AP42 81%)

Jetsfnks appeals to production edfors - AP s unusual ex-prod ed Dave Green used lo play the ongnal al the time, and tvs month rts been a struggle to pnse Steve trom the CD32 verson Whke the rest of us have yet lo work out whai the appeal is. we ve got to admit that the expfosons are mpressrve

Can Ptygnoeia reclaim Iherr battered reputation with the release ol Fhnk early next year Well. The bed news is that II s yet mother cutesy platform game. The good nears Is that it looks entertaining and seems to ptay quite wail.

Rink's an apprentice wizard, and. via a plot too corny to discuss, has to traverse more than SO levels ot baddy-punctuated platforms.

One bonus to being an apprentice wizard Is that you can cast spells These are highly reminiscent ot Sega beat- em-up Golden Axe. which In tha context ol apelts la a Good Thing, with one In particular causing coruscating sheets ot lightning to Irazzle your enemws

There are 13 different spelts, all with accompanying animations. The iprites are BIG and well animated, the puzzles ire reasonably taxing and the game has cute appeal. Look out lor a proper preview soon.

We discovered this uey piece ot gossip when we phoned up resident Sensible production type chap Stuart Campbell lo see what had happened to our caver demo ol SensAto World o(Soccer We were bracing ourselves lor the usual 'Oh. the dog ale if or "We did do it but some big kids from the council estate pushed us in the mud and side if sort ol excuses, but Stuart just came out with it 'Joels the programmer has bought a new Porsche and dmren off m it and we've nd seen him since.' he said As bluntly as that We've been charting the course ol Cannon Fodder 2 lor a tew months now and even got you lot n on the act Regular readers will remember ihai we were ihe first magazine 10 announce its arrival, the first magazine to gel petures ol it and Ihe first magazine to announce the bi2arre time travel story that provides sufficient narrative to justify the horrendous loss of life that's bound lo occur xi a game like this.

The original Cannon Fodder (AP32. 94%) blasted straight mto the AMIGA POWER All Time Top 100 at number 2 and went on. despde a M of controversy involving the game s poppy motif (But we don't ike lo go mo that - Legal Ed) to sell bucket loads After 4s release, we asked Sensible's Jon Hare about a sequel and he said no. but after three months when it was still selling by the crate load and the public were clamouring lor more, it seemed cnmmaiiy cruel lo depnve a) ihe games playing public of more levels, and b] their bank accounts ol pols more cash Sensible have smce been busy devising Iricky. fiendish and several downnghi sadsiK new missions 10 lax new players and Fodder veterans alike.

and you've been helping them by entering our design-a-level compo We ve had a thousand or so entries so tar. which ex-AM IGA POWER man Stuart Campbell has been carting away in carrier bags and casting his critical eye over.

'The vast majority ol the entries haven't had any point lo them, with just trees, overs and buildings plonked on a gnd. so they ve all been burned.' commented Stuart 'However. Ihere ve been quite a lew inspired level designs and even more good ideas ihai wa ve incorporated into existing levels, and we re looking lo till an entire location with levels designed by AMIGA POWER readers '

We ll probably have a complete run-down on the winners next month, so stay tuned

The latest locations to emerge from Sensible are the Chicago-style gangster oty and a ventable bevvy ol alien worlds which, along with the medieval and Beirut locations, conspire lo form the space-lime romp plot line As you can see from the pictures, it's all looking scanly finished, which can only mean a review next month We gleefully await 4

Has anyone seen our programmer

any case, it you haven't got a phone you won't be able lo call the ticket hotline on 0369 4235 II you're no good af games, you won't be showing up tor ihe finals of the National Computer Games Championship And agoraphobics and those averse to large groups ol ill-mannered children wouldn't dream ol going So on (he whole, this warning is probably unnecessary .)

Just making sure you don't go. basically, (or the reasons outlined last month (It you bought this copy Ol AMIGA POWER after the 26th-30th October then you should be okay anyway Similarly, il you have any particular aversion to Eads Court m London then you won't be going. And it you didn't bother enlenng last month's Send us something we II like' competition Ihen you won't be turning up to see if you've won anything In

CANNON FODDER 2:

"M.I.A."

AMIGA POWER NOVEMBER 1994

a

PREMIERl

MANAGE

Runs on: A500. A600, A1200

Publisher: Gremlin Author: In-house ETA: November

Sequels eh7 They're usually a cash-m device designed 10 generate more revenue Irom an aiready-poputar product According to TVs famous Barry Norman, the rule of Ihumb in

Hollywood is mat a sequel fo a film makes an average ol 60% ol (he yield' ol (he first one regardless ol ns quality And he's a man WHO KNOWS

So. Premier Manager THREE The cynical hackles that are the trademark of all the semi Ovule beings who work lor AMIGA POWER were nsmg on my back The man Irom Gremlin punched the disks into the machine I scowled and sneered The opening screens came up I leered and scoffed He showed me me new tactics scieens I slopped scowling, sneenng. leenng and scoffing and slatted 1o get rather xileiested

Hurrah lor Gremlin (lorgeltmg about

moment) Hurrah for football games lhai allow you to influence what happens on the pilch

This tactics option looks really good You can tell individual players where you want them to be on the pitch depending on where the ball is You can tell individual players to pass the ball more, or run with it more, by manipulating ihe percentage given to each, so that somebody who doesn't pass very well can be told to run with the ball 60% ol the lime and pass 20%. You can tell your players whether 10 pass long, medum or shod, or whether to jus! clear the ball out You can tell them to pass lo different areas of me pitch You can issue almost any tactical instructions you want

AND you can do this up to eight limes, each time covenng play on every pari of Ihe pitch, so that you can have a preprepared tactical response lo almost any situation you find yoursell in.

All this plus a very useful new representation ol the match itselt, which really shows you me strengths and weaknesses ol your

rr

Too CM me

•rr* r **■ aam M<tUAA«M

j]

fir ifil

N»%4Cfc*

i call hi 1

team as they play and an Assistant Manager who'll take over the tedious day-to-day Stull such as training schedules and healing injured players il you want him lo. means lhal Premier Manager 3 looks like it might just make n to the lop this season look out lor a lull review next month

• STEVE FARAGHER

values.* is a typical quote Irom the manual, which sets the tone rather well It's monsters m tunnels, kkks Treasure Spells.

Losing hit points because you've walked into a wall Being plunged into darkness because the torch was knocked Irom your hand dunng a scuttle Paladins relusmg to shoo) a monster because it's not honourable. Completely useless magicians. Women with silly names Experience pants. Reincarnating your dead bloke A party ol two (which is quite unusual, actually - it's always lour. Still, it does mean you only have lo worry about the two people, and getting them to do things is much less fiddly). Difficulty levels wheh dictate Ihe monsters' strength And. no doubt, ores. Or orks. Whatever. Oh. and it's all about stopping a villainous wizard unlocking the secrets ot the universe by playing around

wilh the crystal of the title

It's a huge game (28 floors ol dungeon, it says here - good ob k's hard dnve-installable men) and ihe very lad it makes no compromise to mass appeal has already won it favour among the sieety-pnnopled mighty beings of AMIGA POWER Whether it plays well and justifies being Dungeon Master ail over again is a question more befitting the review ol next month So we shall leave il there and sinde purposefully away.

• JONATHAN NASH

Runs on: A500. A600.

A1200

Publisher: Kompart Authors: Magnetic Fields ETA: Next month

First there was Dungeon Master. and then there was another one. Ol it And then some other games like that one. and then some more games Like mem. Now there is Crystal Dragon, which is Dungeon Master all over again The wheel has come full circle The cycle is complete

Unlike the new set ol Japanese-

inspired RPGs such as Dragonstone (which squirrel away the statistics *n the background) Crystal Dragon waves its dee-related history with pnde "The Random range tor a pnme stat ts 1U1D6 (12-17) and 5*1D6 (6-11) lor a lesser stat Using this method a player may take e first level character's stats lo their maximum

DIARY OP A GAME

SENSIBLE GOLP

myseff m the same position again They say you make your bed and he in il Which bungs me smoothly and metaphorically onto my next point you and your Amiga Sadly k looks like this will be the last diary ol an Amiga game by Sensible Scttware. the reason being that SlfVOS. Cannon Fodder 2 and Serts&e God are the last games Sensible wi> be developing tor ihe Amiga (So there you nave * - Ed)

The reasons are the new ultra-powerlul machines emerging, the publishers' new fascist dictatorship attitude towards the future and finally, but mainly, piracy They say it's now over twenty pirate copies to one legitimately-bought copy ol an Amiga game See moral ol live sentences ago We all have to make our living, we all have to eat, and we all have to justify our leisure time So this Christmas will be Ihe Amiga's turning point Your attitude could well be 'Wall these are going to be the last Sensible games available, so let's just copy them and not throw any HA more hard-earned dosh into the My money pit ' It could, on the other U» hand, be 'No. I'm actually gang 4 lo buy these games en dy ** Ihem more tor making that EM eltort, and hope that everyone ’ ***• aoes in 0,clef 10 sustain

I :JR the market in ihe future' And ]v t everyone lives happily ever .. after (Joels gel down ott that soap-box. man Chill out) E Sensible God is starling to look the business now 11 plays, man. wow does it play You've got to check out the Amiga Formal coveidisk demo Lock-up bug aside, it's the ultimate lease ol a beautiful tutuie It's you. your three best males, and a forty-eight pack of that luscious new ('F Max. the lighity-spatkimg fish dnnk* - Ed)

Right now it s our major stress-out time ot the year - the run up to getting the games finished and in the shops lor your mums to buy you tor Christmas which means all work and no sleep (and no fSocks' - Ed). ('Rugs' - Ed) or fflrc* n' Ralph' - Ed) tor that matter) tor Ihe pa rty animals at Senstoie Soltwaie

Collecting interesting pebbles is a favourite pastime ol mine at the moment, so how many camels were mentioned n metxbie’’

Okay. Sensible God then How's it gong. Jocks, me old mucker1 Well, sir I've usl been slogging me guts out domg a coverdisk demo lor A P's reaty tat sister magazine. Amiga Format Having worked non-stop lor about a week trying to cram in as much as possible, and getting brow-dampenmgty dose to their deadline tor sending disks lo the duplicators. I discover that a [

locks up occasionally And I here's no time la tix if. What a nightmare ol a headache

Ive got the putting lo f P

work now You see. originally

the game was all played using the small Cannon Fodder esgue graphics But now. when al the players ate standing on the green (the designer stubble like grass be around the hole), double-scale graphics are loaded up and used This seems to make everything dearer, mare prominent and, erm. bigger Oh yeah, and I've done the computer-controlled

year when I was finishing oil coding Cannon Fodder I promised mysett that I’d never again put myseil through the masochistic punishment of working so stupidly hard, not seeing any daylight, rot socialising tor weeks, and now I laid

"It locks up occasionally'

3 A O N

m

credible

Here at AMIGA POWER, we say what we think. If we like a game, we say so. If we don’t like a game, we say so. Otherwise, asks Jonathan Davies, what’s the point

Arecenl telephone fSfflfsaSen between AMIGA POWER and a representative one o( itie better-respected Amiga games publishers want something like this

Rngmg Ring mg)

Ut: Hello7

Publisher: Have you got some tund of vendetta against us7 U» Pardon7

Publiiher: You haven't given us a single good review since Game x Ut: Wen that's because Gama X was the Iasi decent game you did Publisher: But what sort of message do you think it sends out 10 the readers when you give Game Y 20*'-. (or whatever)7 Ut: A message telling them not to buy it because it's rubbish

Publisher: Ybu re not going to get a copy ol Game / because I know you're only going to (~Phjckng' - Ed) slag if I pull my f8nek" - Ed) out tor you and you chop it off

Ut: Er

Publisher: No-one likes you at this end. and Commodore and an the other software companies aren't happy to see a maverick magazine like yours on the market

Ut: Hang on a minute That simply isn't tr-

Publlther: The best scenar o I can see ■$ that AMIGA POWER will be deed by mid 1995 and the Amiga will be history by the end of '95.

Ut: You re taking this personally, aren't you7

Publisher: Yes I CCtrcfang"- Ed am taking this personally I can't work with people I don't get on with, and I don't get on with you If the Amiga goes down it's 1 your fault, and I hope you're out of a job at the next tew month*.

Us Right Ei. bye than

Thai s an extreme example, of course Not everyone hopes me Amiga will die ust so * takes us down with it Some companies cancel then advertising with us (which may not sound tike a problem to you. but without it AMIGA POWER would cost you £8 95 a copy or something) Some send stiff letters to Steve The Publisher Ana some just quietly stop sending us game* to rev ew But most publishers are adult enough to realise that if ihey produce lacklustre games they can't really complain it they get lackiuslr* marks And yet bizarrely, they don't always get low marks Month after month, we thumb through rival Amiga magazines and see games that we've played, and which we know noi to be up to scratch, getting absurdly high scores Why Is TNs7 Can it

be pul down to differing tastes7 Are they frightened o* receiving phone cwMIkl he one above7 Are they scared ol tos'ng advertising revenue Da they simp-y not bother lo piay the games Roperfe and pc along with whal dt% ve bar told smooth-talking PR Mpulmenis7 We don't know tad Rhaiever the reason it makes us feel slightly ill You're bemg duped into buying games you won't hka and nr fob is made that much harder whe (*ibishers ring up and say 'Wen. all I'm other magazines liked it. so there must be something wrong with you'

So what we thought we d ou trvs month is pick a selection o.‘ ganMk* ' published to rave reviews from o * t*«ow magazines over the M lew months' ftyM aren't, in our opinion, all they re eraekeff up lo be WeVi summarfaad what everyone else taught al dim and whal we thought ol thM. And then we ve asked their programmersfcutkshers to explain themselves Did they really believe ihey'd written the greatest driving game (or whatever) of all time7 Or were they just saying that7 And finally, as is our right, we've made sure we've go< the last word.., Oh and to show that we re i completely bitter and twisted turned lha tables and dug out a tame which we really loved, but when -.named to pass everyone else by

VJsi'JLA SALARY

mu si aaiiejjs

Wjikiaf, tti Mac* I'm ukki i«i iMkcd l a wefttef, tci Mill I’d

TCI Mttd !'■ walk!**, TCI

Mild re cilia], Tea iadcid...

when you do. it generaty involves ores and leaihet I hongs and all ihose other tedious oid tantasy die his And the 500 version doesn't recognise second disk drives or hard drives It looks nice, but is dull, and received just 50% m AP41.

DAZE REPLY...

Clitt Guy from Daze looked thoughtlul. and then put his PH hat on:

"For thousands ol RPG tans, ishar 3 is wonderfully big II you> head’s not n this game then you'll end up aimlessly wandenng But what il you (tee your heart, suspend your rksbeliel. and usl go exploring You! find an engrossing adventure where you can take your own route, sei your own agenda and dscove* a spectacular world ol characters, places and monsters

Thas is what people love about the series And Ishar 3 is the best ol the series - the best graphes. and the best plot It's not a game for the dabbler, thats true However. RPG tans with a sense of adventure and a taste for a challenge play ishar 3 with relish And as we al Daze always say. 'Refesh m. relish out'

AMIGA POWER RETORTS...

'Dabblers' How dare you7 That’s an outrageous nsJt to our character Games are our life We eat. sleep and dream Amiga games So you’ll be looking forward to Ishar 4. tien. Cliff ►

And I can prove if. by showing you every frame from the intro'

Er. no Please don’t Anyway, why would we have done that

"The review made some lair points, and was interestingly written, but on the whole l thought it was rather negative -overthe-lop and even latuous xi places' But there is quite a lot ol Hying around with nothing happening, isn’t there7

"The whole pant ol the game is to provide escapism, to stimulate the imagnation You could get rid ol the unimportant missions, and only have 100 planets, sure, but that’s not what the game's all aboul II you like to be led by the nose through a game. Frontier's not lor you ‘

And the graphics7 'The game does lun slowly on a 500. I’ll admit that And it’s a shame But you can always (urn some ol the detail off

raoNiiM - nm a

(Gametek)

Few would deny that BWe is one ol games history's greats So axpeelat-ons cere high as the sequel approached completion Four years in the making it had us bursting ei artbcpauon of as accurate simulator of the entire galaxy ■100.000.000 000 stars'" we gbbered 1TII take us weeks to visit Si those ’ And when rt fnaly appeared, reviewers across the nation exploded, showering marks as hgh as 96% all around them But not AMIGA POWER

on a 500 It was okay, we decided in AP32. but worth no mote mar 65% (or 75% on an A1200).

DAVID BRABEN REPLIES...

David Braben Frontier's programmer,

was quite cross at the time the review came out. and s still tar from happy That was the review with ihe strip ol pictures from the vitro along the top. wasn't it7 With a caption about biue-nnsed sisal, when I've never even heard of. You doctored those pictures didn’t you7 You took some things out somehow

AMIGA POWER

SAID...

ISMAft 3

(Daze)

■"jrii one ol the mosi popular senes o< BPGs on the Amiga, and they always sell loads Ishar 3 takes the view that bigger a belter, and grves you an even more enormous playing area than ever before Which is good, right7 Marks n the high 90s across the board seemed to suggest io AMIGA POWER, however, dsagreed

AMIGA

POWER

RETORTS...

As our new Readers' AllTime Top 100 reveals, (right after this feature] we re pretty much alone in our view ol Frontier But we re sticking to it. and we hope frontier 2 is marketfy better.

100.000. 000.000 stars, huh All of them accurately mapped and catalogued7 And that s supposed to be barter than 10.000.000.0007 Or

1.000. 000.00C7 Or even IOC7 What st«s. a game or a Guinness Book of Records attempt7 It wouldn't matter, except the game itself is rather dul. with little sense ol the enormity ol your surroundings, load! of tedious Hying around wait noth ng happening and (fcsappoMngfy sluggish graph** tf yooTe p' i/tnq

AMIGA POWER

SAID...

Ishar t we liked Ishar 2. well, we had our reservations, but gave it the benefit of the doubt But by Ishar 3 our patience had run out As the series has progressed it's got more and more sprawling, and Ishar 3 jusi goes loo far. lading you wander about tor hours jusl trying to knd something to do And even

DQQDDC11 Earth

AMIGA POWER NOVEMBER 1994

AMIGA POWER NOVEMBER 1994

NEW HIGH SCORE

I

J

\

I

-J

S

RUMP *N'

(Grandslam)

Billed as the Amiga's answer lo Mano Kart. Bump n' Bum was supposed lo Incorporate all the top SUES game's knockabout tun. with personality laden cartoon opponents and special weapons to shoot them with

The other magazines seemed happy lo go along with this handing out marks in the 90s with gay abandon.

AMIGA POWER SAID...

It's not. though It's nothing like as good as Mario Kart While Mano Kan really

does allow you to believe you're zocmmg along m a go kart, the driving mechanics in Bump n Bum seem hopelessly artificial and unconvincing And Mano Karla small, feature-packed courses are replaced by large, sprawling ones on which you'll rarely see your competitors No better than a hundred other drtvmg games, and certainly worth no more than 70%

(AP40)

GRANDSLAM

REPLY...

We tried to get hold ol Peter Opdam. Bump 7T Sum's programmer, but he was having domestic problems. Grandstand David Birch was happy lo lake up the gauntlet, trough

Ut were disappointed with the review, having seen Bump n Burn do well in other magazines We played Mano Kan a lot. and basically tried lo produce an Amiga version Ol it'

The car's handling leeis aN wrong. And the road moves at exactly the same speed whether the speedo read! 80 or 160

"Yeah I dunoo, that may be the case But we teel the pleyabaty was spot on. That's what we really concentrated on gerhng right. II your leviewer had trouble siayvtg In the lead. Ihais perhaps a tcfieclta ol his driving skills*

AMIGA POWER RETORTS...

Bump in' Bum plays sort of okay, bui it iust isn't a patch on Mano Karl We've never gone back to rt. And who wants lo play console hand-me-downs anyway1 Certainly not us What's wrong with originality tor a change Come on Grandslam You can do much belter than this Can't you

But I he courses are huge and sprawling compared lo Mano Karts 'Well, yeah maybe that's a (air comment"

..... -w.

VALHALLA

(Vulcan)

They came out ol nowhere, and within seconds Vulcan Software were hailed as the most excrtmg thing to happen to the Amiga tor years They'd put together Ifefiata in a rumoured three months, and yet * was great

But wait Vatiata is actually ternbfy tedious The speech gets on your nerves wrthm seconds, and once you've turned it oft you're left wilh a bland, empty adventure game where your character wanders around brown, empty rooms, dying tar loo often

VULCAN REPLY...

New lo the software scene, Vulcan's Lisa Carrington has the distinct impression that we hate them

O'From the beginning you seemed completely disinterested in us and (Mn't speak lo us lo lind out how lo get on in

T HF towfR

ihe game'

But we review games based on the game, not on how well we get on w*h the

programmers

"The review in AMIGA POWER was plainly written by a reviewer that hadn't even attempted to play the game, so how could he give an hones) account ihal the pubic could rely on You stale ihal all ihe

rooms are empty, yel there are loads ol characters Later in the game Vafiaka has many things *i its favour. Not only is ii Ihe first speech adventure on the Amiga, but there's “1 no disk swapping during (he game and there's a save game function And most importantly of all. it's addictive and tun lo play'

No it s not Cam played it (or two days - surely that's long enough to get a reasonable impression ol wether he liked the game or not He didn't meet any characters (unless talking skulls count) m all (hat time

"We leei that the revww wasn't a lair representation pi Via the gama. The puzzles are ad Based on word associations, which C m obwoufiy nevei got the hang ot

11 youd only com* back to us with criticisms ol the game or how to gel past certain puzzles we'd hast been happy tr help you out. And tallowing the reviews in AP and Amiga Formal we changnd the game quite a bit anyway We iust never got any feedback Irom you *

AMIGA POWER RETORTS...

It's nof our job to playtes! games and lo pass back our criticisms to tbe programmers

The chances are lhal, however much you know and trust AMIGA POWER, you've ignored our warnings and bought a game that we hated, but everyone else claimed to <ove What happened7 Did it turn out to be just tike we said'’ O was it the best decision you ever made7 Write and tell us at either: H Only Id Listened To You. AP* or “You Lied To Me AP'. 30 Monmouth Street. Bath BA1 2BW There are no prl2es but *e‘t probably do some sort ol follow-up teatuie or something.

weight' to them, and the lack ol impact sound sheets kills any sense that you’re actually fighting people Further testing reveals that the potentially clever system ol earning money to buy fighters is wrecked by a system ol price lidding, so the one-player game s out. and the two-piay«r game is spoiled by the way it telegraphs every special move in time lor your opponent to avoid * easily. Looks great, but worth, we tell m AP39, just 61V

TERRAMARQUE REPLY...

Han Kurttmen ol developers Terramarque isn’t having any ol it

"Most d the criticism comes liom avid genre Ians, who have a ined idea ol how a beal-’em-up Should work Innovative concepts tike ntuilrve game controls (designed with the Amiga joystick r rrvnd), the strategic part oI the game, and coins as your resource have obviously been loo much lor many dehard beal-’em-up Ians

'The greatest beat-’em-up on the Armga' That was the gst ol much ol EMmanas pre-launch pubkeity. and the reviews that followed Seemingly bewitched by the game s beautiful graphics, reviewers handed out scores ol 90%-odd with no questions asked But AMIGA POWER7

can deny But you ve only got to play a couple ol rounds to realise that k leels all wrong The characters have no

one-player game, you should be able to eofied money to hire tougher characters as the game progresses By lighting easier lights, uiikstng bonus rounds and prize lights you can accumulate money quite easily, it you learn how to light well • bet the AP reviewer never realty got very (ar n the game, because he couldn’t figure out how to accumulate money or how to light eft actively against the computer-conttofied player. It this is true, he hes no chance to get deeply involved with the strategy side ol the game'

AMIGA POWER RETORTS...

But if the National Computer Games Champion ol 1968. not to mention the European Video Games Champion ol 1990, can l figure it out. what chance do the rest ol us stand7

'Besides.' snarls Stuart Irom his new Saltron Walden home. 'I did get loads ol money But it usl meant the pnees ol the fighters went up Where s the strategy in that7'

21

EMPIRE REPLY...

It was nee to find someone who agrees with us lor once, namely Empire's Manssa Pauwells

■It’s a strange one, Empire Soccer Because ol the liming, and the number ol other football games being released at the time, we decided not to do a traditional, strategic football game And we made a pomt ol demonstrating it to alt the magazines, and telling them not to try comparing it to Sensible Soccer - it’s a drfterent style ol game, and one you've reaty got to play lo appreciate But it was clear Irom reading the reviews that they

BMmmm

(Empire) WW&

Empire Soccer wfis aoatBf by Andrew BvevtVDT*. tjfg near-

§'Y figure behind

ke Ur&um Fire and ' AP Coverrfcsk game So it was a bit at a shame when it plumed out to scores ol 50-60%. and slid unnoticed beneath the waves

AMIGA POWER SAID...

Bui hang on a minute Empire Soccer Is probably the best football game since Sensible Soccer, and. being in a very diterant style, well worth playing n its own nght It looks a bii ungainly to begin with, and takes a while to get into, but once you ve gat the hang ol the special moves and things it turns out to be be absolutely brilliant

Play the demo Irom AP41 4 you don't believe us It's last, fabulous and great tun Venty, Empire Soccer IS Speedbai 2 in shorts.

just hadn't given it a chance Most ol the screenshots were Irom the intro, and they just hadn't played it for long enough Then we read AMIGA POWERS review, and Irom your comments it was obvious that you’d given it the lime it needed "

Od the game sell okay7 'll did all nght. but not as well as we d hoped The trouble <s that when shops are looking through the magazines la choose games to stock.

they haven't got time to read the reviews m detail They just look at the score in the bottom nghl-hand comer, and Empire Soccer obviously cfcdn't look too good, especially as. because ol the game's timing. AP's review didn't appear bit last'

AMIGA POWER RETORTS...

Blub

(Team 17)

Thts was lo be the pool game lo end all pool games, claimed Team 17

Mi

■■

and in general the reviewers werer t arguing But AMIGA POWEP /That's enough cuffing through the hype - Ed)

NOW TURN

OVER...

...and find out how all these games were ranked by you in our new Readers’ AII«Tlme Top 100.

o

AMIGA POWER NOVEMBER 1994

32

IT'S THE RESULTS OF.

So, are we in a world off our own Or do you, in fact, like the same games that we do

When we minted you 1o send n your voles lor ihe best Amiga games ol all lime, we were expecting a pretty healthy response AMIGA POWER readers are. alter all, among the most vociferous in the world, never a I raid to slate their case no matter how i\-conceived or unsustainable it might be What we weren t expecting was to be telused entry to our own building alter council engineers declared it to be on the point ol collapse. Citing the dangerous tonnage ol postcards concentrated in a small office on the second floor

And. quite (rankly, we re leeimg pretty pleased with ourselves Ybur tastes broadly equal ours. 4 seems, and we can confidently continue to recommend games on the same grounds we always have Just as we <M. you've ranked Sensible Soccer and Cannon Fodder as your two lavounte games And overall, halt Ihe games in your lop twenty are in ours as well We admue you lor including Gravity force 2 at No 20. although we'd have placed it even higher had we seen it in time

We shall bear in mind ihe following things, though:

• Championshp Manager 93 at No 9, eh And Premier Manager t and 2 a little further down There were no tootball management games in our Top 100 at all, despite the protestations ol Steve Faragher. but we always try to give them their due in reviews.

• Crmksafton at No 11. and The Settlers at an incredible No 5 Both great games that we mduded at middling positions, but. well, phew So you like strategy games, then eh

• Vou seem to think we treated Monkey Island 2b little unfairly (we demoted it to 62nd place), and have placed ii 8th and the original at 10th Maybe you're right • The comedy Kick Off 2 voles have thankfully subsided since the last lime we went through this, with even Goat only managing a meagre 47th place • frontier al No 17. yel Empire Soccer at No 60 He«o

And finally, some statistics, which you may interprei as you see fit:

• We arrived al the Top 100 by awaiting to points to every 1st placed game, down lo 1 tor each 10th placed game • Most 1 si place voles: Sensible Soccer (11% ol the vole overall)

• Most I0th-place voles' Micro Machines (0.7% of the vote]

• Highest-placed game with no 1st-place votes SpeedbaB 2 (7th)

• Biggest discrepancy Exile (we say 8th. >u say 77th).

• Biggest drop: Kick Ob 2 (8th last time to 58th this time).

• Proportion ol vole cast on Top 10:

45 3%

sr

ui

Q

Z

Ui

0.

Sensible Soccei (Renegade)

ee Monkey Island 2

• (US Gold)

fair enough. Vou may well see Monkey Island 2 edpng its way back up our own Top 100 next year

If you stil Ike it this much, then presumably you've al got copies, and won t be lankly rterested m its budget release this month

Yes

s The Settlors 9 (Blue Byte)

We knew The Settlers was popular But when e ust edged above Pmbal fantasies. Our world-mew had to be radeally overhauled

e Cannon Fodder

m (Virgin)

It was dose (as. indeed, 4 was when wo were assembling our own Top 100). but in the end Cannon Fodder was just pipped by SensOes other game Vou dearly love them both, though, awardng the two ol them together nearly tour femes as many voles as the next-highest-placed game. Syndcate

s Pinball Fantasias

(21st Century Entertainment)

No great surprise Wil you like Pinbal Mbscns even better

j Syndicate

(Electronic Arts)

We said 9th. you say 3rd And we feel m no position lo argue

, n Monkey Island

(US Gold)

Most people who voted lor Monkey Island 2 voted lor this as well, expiating ihe two games' saniar piacmgs

y Spa ad ball 2 (Image Works)

Tch It you I4<a this so much, then what's Empire Soccer doing Langmshmg down at No 60 Eh

a Formula Ona Grand Prix

(Microproe*)

J‘OP J

11 CIVILIZATION (Mieroprose)

12 DYNABLASTEfi (Ubi Soft)

13 DUNE 2 (Virgin)

14 CHAOS ENGINE (Meroprose)

15 BENEATH A STEEL SKY (Virgin) ifi LEMMINGS 2 (Psygnosis)

17 FRONTIER: ELITE 2 (Gremlin)

II MORTAL KOMBAT (Virgin)

19 RAINBOW ISLANDS (The Hit Squad)

20 GRAVITY FORCE 2 PO)

21 DESERT STRIKE (Gremlm)

22 PGA TOUR GOLF (Electronic Aris)

23 GUNSH1P 2000 (Microprnse)

24 LEMMINGS (Psygioss)

25 SIM CITY (Maxis)

21MEGA-LO-MANIA (Ubi Soft)

27 HIRED GUNS (Psygnosis)

21 PINBALL DREAMS (21 si Century Entertainment)

29 FLASHBACK (US Gold)

30 STARDUST (Bloodhouse)

31 MICRO MACHINES (Codemaslers)

32 STUNT CAR RACER (Kixx)

33 POPULOUS 2 (Bullfrog)

34 PREMIER MANAGER (Gremlin)

35 PREMIER MANAGER 2 (Gremlin)

36 FI (Domarlr)

37 APIDYA (Play Byte)

36 KNIGHTS OF THE SKY (Km)

39 GRAHAM GOOCH'S CRICKET (Autogenic)

40 SKIDMARKS (And Software)

41 LOTUS 2 (Gremlin)

42 SCORCHED TANKS (PD)

43 HARLEQUIN (Grerrtm)

44 PANG (The Hit Squad)

45 LOTUS ESPRIT TURBO CHALLENGE (Gremlin)

46 JIMMY WHITE'S SNOOKER (Virgm)

47 GOAL (Virgin)

46 ARCADE POOL (Team 17)

49 HUNTER (Activision)

50 LIBERATION (Mmdscape)

51 SOCCER KID (Knsalis) 52ZOOL 2 (Gremhn)

53 WIZKIO (The Hit Squad)

54 WINGS (Cinemaware)

55 MOONSTONE (Mmdscape)

56 EOTB 2 (US Gold)

57 LEGEND (Mmdscape)

58 KICK OFF 2 (Anco)

59 PROJECT X (Team 17)

60 EMPIRE SOCCER '94 (Empire)

61 PUTTY (System 3)

62 PARASOL STARS (Ocean)

63 SWIV (Kin)

64 DEGENERATION (Mmdscape)

65 INDY: FATE OF ATLANTIS (US Gold)

66 MICROPROSE GOLF (Meoprose)

67 WING COMMANDER (Electro*: Arts)

68 YO JOEI (Hudson Soft)

69 IK* (The Hit Squad)

70 JURASSIC PARK (Ocean)

71 RODLAND (Storm)

72 PUTTY SQUAD (System 3)

73 PONG (PD)

74 OUT TO LUNCH (Mmdscape)

75 RAILROAD TYCOON (Microprose)

76 BANSHEE (Core)

77 EXILE (Audiogenic)

78 K240 (Gremto)

79 TETRIS PRO (PD)

80 BRUTAL SPORTS FOOTBALL (Millennium)

81 LOST VIKINGS (Interplay)

82 CELTIC LEGENDS (Ubi Soft)

83 BUBBLE BOBBLE (The Hit Squad)

64 INDIANAPOLIS 500 (Eledror*: Arts)

85 CRUISE FOR A CORPSE (US Gold)

86 LLAMATRON (PD)

87 SABRE TEAM (KraaliS)

88 ALIEN BREED SPECIAL EDITION (Team 17)

89 DUNE (Virgin)

90 ASTEROIDS (PO)

91 NO SECOND PRIZE (Thakon) 92LASER SQUAD (Blade)

93 BUBBA N' ST1X (Core)

94 HISTORYLINE 1914-18 (Blue Byte)

95 TURRICAN 2 (Rainbow Arts)

96 BILL'S TOMATO GAME (Psyytosis)

97 JOHN MAODEN FOOTBAL (Electronic Arts)

98 COOL SPOT (Virgn)

99 ADDAMS FAMILY (Ocean)

100 FURY OF THE FURRIES (Mindscape)

00)1 O WhyOsJi <JJAL

TOP J O’)

1 SENSIBLE SOCCER (Renegade)

2 CANNON FODDER (Virgin)

3 SPEEDBALL 2 (Km)

4 DYNABLASTER (Ubi Soft)

5 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX (MicroPiOSe)

6 RAINBOW ISLANDS (The Hit Squad)

7 KNIGHTS OF THE SKY (Kixx)

8 EXILE (Audiogenic)

9 SYNDICATE (Electronic Aris)

10 PINBALL FANTASIES (21st Century)

11 APIDYA (Blue Byte)

12 GEM X (Demonware)

13 W12KID (The Hit Squad)

14 DUNE 2 (Virgin)

15 DESERT STRIKE (Electronic Arts)

16 FI (Domarfc)

17MICRO MACHINES (Codemaslers)

18 HUNTER (Activision)

19 SECOND SAMURAI (Psygnoss)

20 LEMMINGS 2 (Psygnosis)

21 ASTEROIDS (PD)

22 GUNSHIP 2000 (Microprose)

23 STARDUST (Bloodhouse)

24 RODLAND (Km)

25 HEAD OVER HEELS (The HU Squad)

26 FLASHBACK (US Gold)

27 MORTAL KOMBAT (Virgn)

28 fi-TYPE 2 (Activision)

29 THE CHAOS ENGINE (Renegade)

30 STUNT CAR RACER (Km)

31 DEFENDER PD)

32 D/GENERATION (Mindscape)

33 LIBERATION (M ndscape)

34 SIM CITY (Maxis)

35 OVERKILL (Mmdscape)

36 SEEK AND DESTROY (Mindscape)

37 YO) JOE! (Hudson Soft)

38 THE SETTLERS (Blue Byte)

39 SKIDMARKS (Add)

40 LAMBORGHINI AM CH (Titus)

41 BLOB (Core Design)

42 BENEATH A STEEL SKY (Virgin)

43 PANG (The Hi) Squad)

44 NO SECOND PRIZE (Thalion)

45 SABRE TEAM A1200 (Knsaks)

46 ARCHER MACLEANS POOL (Virgn)

47 NAUGHTY ONES (Inieraciivision)

48 PUTTY (GBH)

49 URioiUM 2 (Renegade)

50 CIVILIZATION (MicroProse)

51 TETRIS PRO (PO)

52 IK* (The Hit Squed)

53 PACIFIC ISLANDS (Ensure)

54 F-29 RETALIATOR (The Hit Squad)

55 THE BLUES BROTHERS (Titus)

56 BOB S BAD DAY (Psygnosis)

S7NICK FALDO S GOLF (Grandslam)

58 HISTORY LINE 1914-18 (Blue Byte)

59 BUBBA N' STIX (Core Design)

60 ISHAR 2 (Silmanls)

61 SCOOBY DOO AND SCRAPPY (Hi-Tec)

62 MONKEY ISLAND 2 (US Gotd)

63 SWIV (Slorm)

64 SOCCER KID (Knsafcs)

65 FURY OF THE FURRIES

(Mindscape)

66 LURE OF THE TEMPTRESS

(Virgn)

67 PARASOL STARS (The Hit Squad)

68 VIRUS (Firebird)

69 ALIEN BREED 2 (Team 17)

70 NEBULUS (Hewson)

71 HIRED GUNS (Psygnosis)

72 LOTUS ESPRIT TURBO CH (GBH)

73 E-MOTION (US Gold)

74 WALKER (Psygnosis)

75 ANOTHER WORLD (Kixx)

76 PINBALL DREAMS (21 St Century)

77 TEARAWAV THOMAS (Soundware)

78 CARRIER COMMAND (Rartxrd)

79 R-TYPE (The Hrt Squad)

80 POPULOUS (The Hit Squad)

81 MONSTER BUSINESS (Eclipse)

82 LLAMATRON P0)

83 BOSTON BOMB CLUB (Silmanls)

84 KID GLOVES (Millennium)

85 WORLD CLASS RUGBY Audiogerec)

86 SUPER HANG-ON (The HU Squad)

87 ALIEN 3 (Acclaim)

88 BRUTAL SPORTS FOOTBALL (Millennium)

89 BUG BOMBER (Kmgsoft)

90 ZOOL 2 (Gremlin)

91 PROJECTYLE (Electronic Arts)

92 ONE STEP BEYOND (Ocean)

93 KLAX (Domain)

94 THE SENTINEL (Firebird)

95 SWITCHBLADE 2 (Gremlin)

96 SHANGHAI fActivision)

97 ROBOCOP 3 (The Hit Squad)

98 JETSTRIXE (Rasputin)

99 PONG (PD)

100 FRONTIER - ELITE 2 (Gamelek)

AMIGA POWER NOVEMBER 1994

PartiCul»rh. n

9,um6 cir°'

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enr even we near immortals who work on AMIGA POWER must come down from their Olympian heights and ponder the entropy and decay that is the one constant of the universe. Even we must face up to our

OUAnto_l -J " v W14I

HO DO WE THINK GOING TO BE

DAVIES

ONATHAM

already certain

•bout W* then I'm 701 m oornq to tw

Jonathan* o1 one tact

JONATHAN HASH

those learaomety unapproachable old blokes who look Uke Denver Pyte

and heed their secluded communities as self->.Mud oetriarchs end kin

computer* win vow

n,betool»usy**«m«

whittling

SUE HUNTLEY

Sue's planning on letting herself go a bit after retirement "There s an old lady m my street and she s kind of my role model.'' she confessed -All day long she sings to

easily I'm Lconaled by pnbwll. hut I hale a when people try lo make mo play it ai the pub ‘Come on." they say irs only a bit ol lun Look - we vo selected a three-player game, so you ! haw lo play or it won t work And ii can t possibly go anight down tha mtfcjw this time' But it akaaya doas

So pads! gaaaa on the Arags ara a great six.ee ol com tort to me From safety wShm the coniines ol my bedroom I can play 7 them lo my hearts

' r * - \ content, the rasi

"Now, ol the world

. msUaled Irom

mlOI O QfC Ja my cnes ol a No1 Not

k OlWy again' i ckd i

ihfu" with PntnS

Z1" Tr / Dreams i did *

with Ptnba* Fan uses

And fust tocenily Iva been domg it with PmtuJ Sugars And fhnbai Iksms a. by a shghl but at lha same lima ngoAcml margm. the best yet

You II probably already have spoiled that, while Dreams and Fantasms both had tour tables teatans has usi three Ths is the one bsappcinling thing about it so well gol ri out ot the way right al the begmng Apparently Dtgtai Aksens decided at the test minute tha!, out ot the tour tabes they'd designed, one was «wjh y crap So they threw it away And now Ihcro ara only lht»e AnO it (Jeesn l itvtvi coat les< Tch. eh">

Although It* nans* would normally earn lie ciaicrs an AMIGA POWEP. Humcapping, Ihi; :3 Sl vrt - favourite table, so lhal'i akay He iihos its traditional' 1950s !c-o=. &z± duesfl't cssrn lo mind a bit thst n centre; on ths antics ol ladlous unemploy«d Americans and Hoops writing things like Excellent' and Woah al the top of the screen Amusements include chicken racing, where you drive towards ths edge of a cliff, burgers, which you make bigger and bigger and Ihen eaf. a Beach Gym and n jukebox from which you can pick diHcisnl lunet The music, though, is 3* a psuedo-Beach Boys persuasion, complete with syntbasissd singing in harmony and is thoroughly aggravating.

Bui still District yourseH wricad with thoughts of the M,

dwlutali feature (I wrote 'mufti- »t tells' on the cover when we first (hd t. but apparently it's muitibal' Shows he* ouch time I spend at pinball-playing cat!** nmol'5) Thrs is actrvated aither by gating two ball locks or hitting the nght talmas, and causes three baits to boinca amend the table at the same time This coiAd be slightly contusing. «f°»y when baits start disappeanng oft the top of the screen but thankfully a sit.5 stab at the H key throws the game no h jh-res mode You can now see ready all of the table on the screen at once, but miniaturised Initially this evoked simfa> emotions at the A P office to the kni time we saw a Competition Pro Mini joyetta. Mulhbeii does have its downside, though - without if the game might have

* "A swiff-stab at the

run on an J,u“ P1 ,n"

A600 IIW r .

y- * m

improved at > * Qf»

Pinbad Hustons are the LED displays above the tables They’re now higher resolution, and have loads ol little animations lor when things happen down on the table For example, on the Law and Justice table you get to see coppers chasmg criminals across the lop ol the screen, and shoofang them

And with it being an AG A-only game, the graphics generally are great Tha tables have all been digitised Irom >

EXTREME SPORTS

And the third lible if really good 11 well, deiptte having parhapi the maalc of the month. Iff a bind of, oh, grunge heavy metal thr-iah you'd probably call It. and will completely dealroy your will to live within saccsds sr!**t you awitcb it off The table, meanwhile, if baaed on dangerous opart: Dtp Pi imnping and rock climbing. (Golf isn't rwenllonad.) The aeimallona at it* lop of the screen who you falling off cliffs aad diving into the sea, sad the—’* •!*•: n bit iiwoialng ■ goal And a Maniac Skier Jackpot and a Sups-r Iron Man Jacknnt Although this was the labia we played the lean, that was prcb=b-d more to do with our personal musical tolerances than any inherent flaw* In Its dailgn.

fury on the Mega Drive do their own thing adding barhbM to knock out with the ban and bonus screens that you reach by knocking the ball into the nghl hotel But Drgdal HkiSJOns hove always aimed la recreate real-ide petal as accurately at poubt and they ve managed pml thal with fVfsa* Susans Design-wise Ihe table* are even doear le real ones man ever betoie and there isn't a single duffer among them The Law and Justice one a the best aa ter as I'm concerned (one of the kaatoat why you! find a demo dll on our coueidA). with the otter two _ being ust a iifile

too American (txil still -

lolly good)

Lights Rash, things go pmg and dack. and at* bat zqs around kka there's no today tel alone lomonow The music is great, changing when you activate important leatuies to heighten the drama It s rrprmtoa to ooncelva of the Amiga getting any closer lo playing pmbal in a pub than this (al teas!, according lo Sieve and Jonathan who A it all Ihe time)

• JONATHAN DAVIES

y* iiph■■ lintelinw

THE BOTTOM LINE

A tough cell. In e way. with than being ana leas labia But Ihe quality of fha taina wa n get la compenaahon enough After ad. as Steve eo wlaety ahaanrae. weald you mark a piallerw ..

r It s the luhn A long, long tare into the luture. wb*i the inliaiM has reasfcM Oil hmii ol its pod-Big Bang expansion and begun lo contract again. In hd. a s contracted ao much thal t l now no more than a law light years m dameter. and its Surviving inhabitants

(The AMIGA POWER calculator reveals that, were the universe realty to be "no more than a tew bght years at diameter', its density would be so great thal i wrxAd collapse m on itsed wrtvn a lew picosecond! But Guankan ts a pretty last-moving geme. so that's okay)

Guardians been compared to Slanting an the SNES. a game which a superficially resembles The sh£S are similar, the first level colours are identical and yxi fly about n a simiar manner But a pari trom thal. forget about Slanting

IS

s

Tragically. especially inn in* urna i ™*l. Guardians creators only

seem to have got as for a* Oronoids In naming tha enemy ships. There lan't •van an mtro tcraan that Hats tham all. along with tha point* you gat lor killing tham. TRUST AMIGA POWER TO RECTIFY THIS OVERSIGHT

Thay run ring* around you. 300 point*

WOLF

Tha*a fighter* are rubbish. but thair ineptrtude can often ba your I downfall whan ' thay era ah Into you 150 point*

PANTHER

Actually.

Dronoid la a bit

of a crap name. W

*o let * can them

Panthara

instead You va got to destroy all these to complete a level.

250 point*

these rather more skilled ones. Thay tend to fall lor tha old 250 point*

NIGHTSHADE

These tanks run up and down tha roads on tha first level.

They ra fairly easy to pick off. 500 point*

flip trick, though

SHADOW AppMWB

The most terrifying

enemi** we va jb

so tar coma across are these

TIE fighter-style ones, which stick to you like glue 500 point*

patrolled by these small boats who.

needless to say. fire at you. 500 points

TROJAN

Although, having said that, these flying saucers

And there are lots of other ones as well, obviously

And think instead about a 3D version ol Defender, ehch is what Guardun actually is. J l Defender _1 /

GuenMn'.Saa i /

5 cA trymg V

to odnap people, the

re a* power-ups

you cant hyperspace But

tfvs is * 30 version ol

speed and

tosdNai the fewer ■ i smart at f e end ol the Isval, the fewer bonus pants you’ll get) 1 Tsk' When you

® UPPERS Fast. Intense. Superb graphlca and Bound and averythlng. Incredibly hard, and gets tougher the further you get-

two-pi

DOWNERS The power

J ups ire i bit too hird to s_/ pick up.

THE BOTTOM LINE

A fsullless evolution of Defender Into three dimensions, and one of the meanest, toughest games wave played tor a long time. Unlike Sterwfng. this has been designed is something to play, only coincidentally doubling up aa i gtaal showcase lor the C032

w

■wheel mere seewfi f bet — erelM, nS rhea seen eft Me Ihc dnUau Matt

OVERLORD

OAMI REVIEWS

won hugs

THE BOTTOM LINE

The screen update* A¥3 00 slgnHicsntly fitter on a 1200, and It's aate to jtim all the detail and colour settings up to maximum. Other than that It's the same game

Ed) has been gmen permission to violate any country s airspace and shoot down ary UFOs they can tmd The idea's ultimately to rid Earth d theca vi taws' homd at*r. neatmeas by developng a ring ot detensfvB bases around the world, but mat'll take you a lung, long time

Ybu start the game al the birth ot the XCOM organsation wih a single base, a tew personnel, minimal stores and a couple ol planes The manual runs a welly tnendly tutorial section, but the game s easy anough to gel r + any*07 as long as you're aware ol you; .mis The base section ot the game presents you srth enough slat screens to make even the most complex tooty management sim green with envy, and it's this section that separates UFO from the previous stand up and fight' versions ol Laser Squad (Or Rebetstar Raiders to trace the game's tkslory right back and impress everyone with our mighty powers.)

Alter each successful combat you relurn with alien artefacts and weapons which you can then disassemble, examine and ultimately Tianutacture In if ns way your lirepcvrsr grows, while at the same time you get pad more and more by countnes gratelul lor your protection So you build more

bases, reciuit more stall down more UFOs and eventually make the world a &a!ar place lo live .

Thai's the plan at least

SECRETED RESIN

Pc=eKng and clicking your way throogn various menus, you can add new sections to base, order and pay tor new

egii“bnt (horn hand gre.-A'1--. to interceptor et fighteis) and look up slats on all your curic-Jy-named staff There* something about neai-lufure games that assumes everyorc aril be called Ludquisl Svenscn or Amall Tiaventi rather than Paul Greenwood or EUly Brown Explanations on poslcaids would be most welcome (Its a lmdhon with Go ..op games They started ett -jm«ng the!i characters Quite sensibly, eapenmenied piedctatty wiih people from SF books and then settled on OBHySB reefy stupid names mMBWB Ar'ui y - Ed)

' When you finally

*0°! a UFO you scrarrhle an mtarceplar, bul unfortunately Ihe an

iradung/air oombai part of Ihe game's no tun al all. A smai radar screen pops up and gives you the option ol engaging Ihe UFO al extreme range, or whooshing at and giving it everything you've got Either way. it's a bit ot a lottery as to who wins.

GOTCHA

it you get them before they get you. you re all ready tar phase three at Ihe game -the Laser Squad bit You pack up to eight soldiers in a transport plane 200m them straight ovei to the Crash site m a powerful transporter pane and then send [hem out with as much equipment as wu-er they can easy r you can afford ft's 5>,q hurl lima For those ol you unfamiliar Min laser Squad

•ana thwetora

-.Vj.r-3 to tta thread ' of lh«s review by the tips

Ol you.* --“OrS! Iha iyCtem

works like fee The game takes pace *1 turns A turn *■ split into movement parts and mesa are soaked up by your actions, ft you walk mat's a law pants get*. I you knata dawn or tuin atound. that* a lew mere Firing from Ihe hip take- less points Men an aimed shot (but !* less accurate), end if you use up al the acion points in that sokHi-s turn May re completely at the wey of the 2=3 Aft However, it you save enough to shoot back, you can tel your soldier (c fire al *:r= aiwns moving across his (or her tr.= 13 a nerif-fatuie scenauo after S.T) Ine ol 1 This na ol sght rule determines how much ot Ihe playing area you can sae Most ol the level stays black uni I your •quad'‘5 tied a look around, and even then t-jednos and trees cast shade .- behind them Also, if a sokker's got he bade to an alien, they won't appear on Ihe screen untt the sokker turns around

DESTROY THEM

This section tails down on two counts There's something not quite right with the line ol sight rules, especially when a solder's on a higher level than ihe target Quite often you'll be on a rooftop wth a clear view of the area below, but (obviously wrongly) be told you can't see an alien standing out m the open Also (and I'll admit this is a personal games versus reality' type argument) whan a soldier moves past a window, an alien can shool

and kill him as he flashes by - even though the alien would have had no chance tc acquire Ihe target, ("Recognise there's someone there and identity them as an enemy sokter * - Ed)

The second (and more important) gnpc a time When It oomes to the aliens' turn, you have lo sit there and wait lor ages while the computer moves them around I clocked 14) over six minutes between moves on a particularly hectic level. The A1200 verwoo ol Sabre Team (also a Laser Squad done, lad tans)

(Though not by the GoBopa. further fact tans - Ed) managed lo peek all ol this baddie-mcmng down 10 a taw aeconds so what went wrong here*) Equally annoying is tha high Itequancy of diak swapping you have lo endure It hampers your enjoyment hugely, and raises suspicion that the game's intended tor hard disk owners only, because the floppy option really does provide only a second rate iwrsion ol the game

BUT

UFOs still great though (As long as you play it from a hard drive thai is) The missions pop up randomly so you don't gel bored when you play it again, new weapons increase your firepower to match the aliens'. As incredibly lensa and exciting, and it you mess up bady you gel trounced Just like real Me (But probably wlhoul the alien invasion mod )

• CAM WINSTANLEY

® UPPERS Enough game to keep you going lor ages. The combat scenes are tense and thought-provoking and the management screens are kept to a minimum. Also, we all taw Pulp Fiction this month, ages belore Its general release, and wa re hugely smug about lt.

® DOWNERS Tool of the devil muzak (that's blissfully missing from the combat missions) and disk swapping to match. The computer takes too long to think about Ihe moves.

THE BOTTOM LINE

It s Laser Squid meets Premier Manager and It works, adding depth to a battle-tested game genre. The tedious disk accessing breaks the game up terribly though, so nonhard drive owners be sf ■ ’

forewarned. I L >

IJI

PLAYING FROM DISKS:

HARD DRIVE INSTALLED

85

THE BOTTOM LINE

n c .v f. There S probably going to bs a 500 version, but It s obviously going lo be far slower than this one. Hmmm. We'll let you know.

Everyone hales him, and after an hour ol iximtormed. xenophobic waffle so do you He's hell's co-worker, he's the nee guy who tries he hardest lo be a total cretin Which, by way ol neat introduction.

sums up Embryo quite nicely loo.

Embryo should be a great game and (given a hearty shakedown) could still be. but this version sucks The game engine's (asl and flowing, the idea's good (so good m tact, it's also used in Guantan, reviewed on page 40) and the control systems (mouse. 0ystek and keyboard) all work great You can even serial link two Amigas and lly agamsl a trtend. which is always a Good Thing

It's ust that, as a game, it sucks The 20 game levels are linked by an endless stream ol poorly-written dnvel cranking out the tired old bad aliens vs good

EGG

Then when you meet him tace to lace, he turns out to be okay You chat about whai was on TV last night or how you both fancy that new girl Irom accounts, and then you go on your separate ways with you wondering why everyone's got it m ky the poor guy.

humans' story It's low-quality 1950s SF of the pulpiest form, and noi really helped by the programmers hailing (rom Croatia, and therefore producing crappy pseudo-almosphenc I5th-raia Isaac Asimov stones in a language that clearly isn't their mother longue. All you need to know is that you ve got to shoot things without getting killed, so why couldn't they just have said thaP

PLACENTA

Lika I said, you can choose your control method 1 favour the mouse which lets you control your plane easily while al the same time keeping your guns and speed under control Holding the nghi mouse button down adjusts your speed whereas a single click loggias through your weapons and

la a later niiiloa yea'va sol to defend these illof afaiait attach. Why not last aaha fht allaai, huh

dM>e Uhe aa ci imoh.ny, dead, etc

Ihe let! button tnes Simple, easy to gel mlo. nice The game betrays its llighl sim origins by having left, nghi and rear views on the function keys, but I've yet to Imd a use lor them and sadly, there isn't an edema! v*ew ot your ship, so you re never sure what your plane looks like It might be sleek and cool, it might look like a 2CV You just don't know.

guns, that sort ol thing And you need them

Even m these early confrontations the one thing that stands out is the obvious need lor bigger weapons No.

BUT BECAUSE

So Everything's great so tar. and it contrmes to look rosy as you start the game proper. After a buel zoom over the polygon landscape, you inevitably bump mo a few baddies and get shooting The walkers are the best not just because they look good, but because when you blast them, they collapse forwards and lie there like dead chtckens, columns ol smoke rising from their shattered frames (As lands to happen with dead ctu&ens - Ed) IT's ever so satisfying The hekeopters come apart and release bonuses quite easily too. so after a tew mmutes Dying around, you ve usually ptoked up qude a tew power-ups - reloads, double mrssdes. better machme-

that's not quite right: the obvious need is lor weaker opponents Picking out some stragglers at the edge ol the enemy's area ol operator. I slopped and tested my weapons against various enemies Tanks lake 12 seconds ot continual machine-gun tire to destroy, bunkers a more credible lour Even accounting tor near-misses, gun turrets take around a dozen hits horn rockets or energy balls betore they bow. (Admitterty. it you use guided missies whmh seek out the weak points, you only need tour or so. but then ol course you run out ot your best missiles earty on ) Quite dearly, that's tar loo much to have to do to kill something, and tbs is the toot ol Embryos probems Piobtems that combine and interleave to create more probems. which in turn spawn yet more Jon me on my terrifying spiralling descent mlo gamepiay hell No. I insist

Because it takes so tong to destroy each target, you've gat to slow right down la give you time to shoot it over and over again (and lhat's slow nghi down - even it you're bumbirvg along, you often have to turn around and make a second pass at the target) Unfortunately, smee you're gomg stow, you're basically a sitting target

FOETUS

Because it takes so long to destroy each target, and the best way of hitting them is to sit there and spray them with bullets which makes you a sitting duck, you gel he And when you get bt. the impact Ilings you backwards tot mites

Because it takes so long to destroy each target, and the best way ol hitting mem is to sit there and spray them which makes you a sifting duck, and you gel hit and Hung backwards tor mies. you haven't a hope ol getting to the mam objective unless you ignore everything and plunge straight m But it you plunge straight m you get killed, because you need to deslroy stragglers n order to get enough power-ups to stand any chance at all And because it takes so tong to deslroy each target, your energy levels get pummelled And you can't plunge straight in anyway, because if you fty last you pass things before you can shoot them Because it lakes so long to destroy each target, and the best way ol hitting them is to Sit there and spray

them which makes you a sitting duck, and you gel hit and flung backwards tor miles, and picking oft stragglers to obtain power-ups means your energy levels get pummelled, the mam objective is always a hell-storm ot enemy activity You can't pick oft the edges o< the defence because it you stop, enemy planes will hit you and knock you into the middle If you go last to avoid the lire you can't hit anything but it you go slow you get shot up and die It by some messianic leal ol gamepiaying you manage to get ai the power-ups you need, getting shot now damages your weapons rather than damagng your sbp But once your weapons gel damaged you have to replace them because you can't repair them But you can't replace (hern because lo replace ihem you have to destioy a target to coiled its power-up. and you can't deslroy Ihe target because your weapons are damaged Bugger

The bottom line is that it's TOO HARD, whmh makes you wonder what sort ol games playing demi-goda playtesled it The walkers and helicopters are tun because ihey drop when you pop them, whereas the turrets are complete dufters because they fake forever to smash up. It they ust knocked down Ihe bt points on the enemies. >t'd be a last and fun game (that's almost (but not quite] like Guardian), and hearing mlo the enemy base would be frantic and ending But they haven't And it isn't. Which is a great shame

• CAU WINSTANLEY

THE BOTTOM LINE

AflZOO F*slff Pf°ceit,n9

allows more ground detail, missile smoke and so on and the game still runs faster. The smooth running KMAb Z

goes to show you what J IJ Z a missed opportunity m I I 2 this game it. / V *

Thes is how I would mprova computer goll The players would be Tony Curtis and Terry-Thomas Tony Curtis would have to play tairly. but would be really good at the game, and Terry-Thomas would be terrible, but have an armoury of duty tricks For example his dub would be electrically-powered, with this gijmo on the head that shot a hidden golf ball out at supersonic speed when he swung at the decoy bail on the tee Ot Erie Sykes would be wading m the rough, and when Terry-Thomas made a bad shot. Ene Sykes would hud another ball oul on to Ihe green Or even Terry-Thomas would have some sort ol air gun concealed in his dub and when Tony Curtis was taking his shot Terry-Thomas would see him through a target, and would have to try to hit him with a tranquitiser dan to make him miss It would be great

In the meantime, here's PGA European Tour It doesn't have Terry-Thomas m it. or even Tony Curtis or Eric Sykes It does have some rear players dispensing useful' advice' like 'Don't ignore the bunkers.' and ‘Aim for the green ‘ It also has polite applause emanating from nowhere at all when you make a good shot, and deliberately unexcitable players, and it's the best goll game ever m the history at all things At least that's what I've been told lo say Goll. it seems, at the computer kmd

at least, is extremely popular m these parts Never having played a game before and therefore obviously being very stupid. I was suirounded by golf tans throughout the reviewing experience Which went exactly like this

money and everything J-*

Goll Fan 3 iSfeve The

Prod Ed a Friend

Steve (From Next Door)):

All right

Me: I don t know what's going on Sieve The Prod Ed: Lets play on the Wentworth course No. the Arden one. No the Crans-sur-Sierre No. Le Gofl National No. the Vaidemair Jonathan The Ed: I shall make an executive decision Crans-sur Sierre

CLUB

Golf Fan 1 (Sieve The Prod Ed): Look af that Its got teal players « it. Vbu can play against real people

Golf Fan 2 (Jonathan The Ed): Thai's

good Sei up a

tournament We lour

agamst the lour best

computer players In a

Skins Gama That s lor

llapw Ml. Slupid Ml (Mil BjMtm lui a nalta llupld Ml, €11 frybodf

2, IT* a M taka tkubarb, ikubarb \ Sat without lob Todd Of

CMrlH Drake, coat to Ikaflf*

Jonathon

Hole *9 £n,00(' Stroke 3 Par 5 Distanced yds.

Club P UJedge

roc/ is/

Hole *12 r ui o , Stroke 1 Distance 213 yds

Club: 2 Iron

TOUR

53

arid even tot the casual player a's a tan M ol tun In frrfi-piayer mode 1 logic-defyiogty lends to suck up lime st a near-Dynabtaster fashion and the spectade ol people getting hurrahingty excited about winning pretend money is something to behold Yes. I t*e it Nowhere near as much as clever gad tans, but si a mote personal, greatly surprised sort ol way Surprise made ail the greater as a's from the people who wrote Last Acton Hero (We'd have got away with if it it hadn't been tor you pesky Juds Etc - The Dome) • JONATHAN NASH

HIT WITH A SHOVEL

It is very relaxing, is PGA European Tour And tnendty And. oddly, compulsive You do fend to find yourseN following the Night of the ball and willing if to stay on course or go a tut to the left or whatever And the dever addition of a reverse angle view of the ball landing adds no end to the suspense But it’s not exactly what you'd call an exciting game (The nearest you get to that is the enjoyabty tense shootout, where you're eliminated it you lose a hoi* ) Mostly it s ust quiet, consistent tun - hunkering over the mouse as you try to compensate lor the wind by lathering spin on ihe ball or attempting that £12.000 putt by calculating the percentage ot 21 leel you need to leach the hole Even when things gel difficult (courses which are mostly water, lor example, or Ittered with bunkers and trees toiling the direct shot) and you slap Ihe bal into the undergrowth, the irreptesstiy helpful positioning saws the day

Beyond whacking Ana straight line as hard as possible and then trusting the club and position you've been grven. you're meant to read' Ihe course and adapt your tactics accordingly (making a short shot. say. si order to gel on a straight line with the hole, and then dosety examining the green to judge the best approach). This is the agonisingly skitui, realistically goHtsh bit, and consequently the part I found very boring (Fortunate I could turn it all oft then and just concentrate on thumping the ball around ) There's no doubt PGA European Tour is ihe best golf game you can get.

number ot shots, there's no animosity on the loser's side

Jonathan The Ed: It's a courtesy game (Pause)

Jonathan The Ed: Well, go on

Steve The Prod Ed's Friend Stave

(From Next Door): WhaP

Jonathan The Ed: Do that comedy brt

where you say a really long, paradoxically

complicated piece, and then we can finish

vrih the song, and he can write the

concluding pari normally

Steve The Prod Eds Friend Steve

(From Next Door): No

Steve The Prod Ed: We've missed our

cue now.

••pmust moke this sh itou in the shoot-out

® UPPERS It s all things to all people, that’s what It Is. The control are very simple, th* presentation slick and (lastly, and the game smotherlrgly helpful; it's also got live real' courses, lour reakltype* ol games and 'rear computer opponents. You can bash the ball artund and trust the gam* to keep yo«hout of trouble; or you can read1 th* green and painstakingly Ml up each shot. It's tun for beginners: It’s clever tun lor goll Ians. And It’s hard drive-installable (but *1111 line from floppy).

® DOWNERS Me really

just the same thing over and over again. Sometimes the ball goes a bit odd', landing squarely «nd than skittering around on Ihe spot lor ages (or Inesplicabty filling to go where H should). And even on the herd disk version you can only save on* game. Gmph. And the courses are commercially sponsored and it uses American spelling. Damning, that. Natch.

Steve The Prod Ed's Friend Steve (From Next Door): A1 right Slava The Prod Ed: Oh dear. A choice ol dubs. I hate having to choose dubs It's so boring

Jonathan The Ed: No. apparently the computer chooses the best dub tor each shot You can override the decision it you •am. but theie's really no need Steva The Prod Ed's Friend Steve (From Next Door): Good Jonathan The Ed: Ah, now. this is one of rose press the mouse button to start the shot powering up, then press the mouse button to determine the power ol Ihe shot. *»n press the mouse button to slop Ihe bal as near to the line as possible to keep Via shot on target' thangs. tsn t tp Slava The Prod Ed's Friend Steve (From Nex1 Door): Yes Jonathan The Ed: And you can move the crosshair you re aiming at. and see a topographical map ol the green, and ■witch to one ol those lovely but mostly useless aerial shots ol the course which 200m at and out Fortunately there's a sensible plan view that gnms ail the necessary information

<kail. Whan jelif eaf I unwiaa bchlw* rkai was.

Costantino Rocc Italu

isn't it1 The formal tor this type ot review's so hackneyed you could pop a Cockney cabb« si A I mean, come on. all this supposerty dever banter thats dearly made up by one person because everyone talks m exactly the same way. and in the middto ol it huge dunky monologues about the game itsett Which would obviously do the joh just as wel presented as a paragraph m a slraighttorward review It s ndkxilous Jonaihan The Ed: No. come on, play up and play the game Look, it's his comedy Ine and everything Me: I don't know what's gong on Jonathan The Ed: There you are

BATTER

Steve The Prod Ed: Bad luck Ybu tailed to take account of the wind strength and tkrector You see. by dicking here you can alter Ihe draw and fade Jonathan The Ed: That's son ot ike Ihe spin on a bail si, say. pool or snooker, isn't it, Slew The Prod Ed's Fnend Sieve (From Next Door)'’

Steve The Prod Ed a Friend Steve (From Next Door): Yes

Steve The Prod Ed: Wei. I must say this is al very pleasant The game helpfully selects ' the best dub. lues you up > with the hole and gives L you ail Ihe necessary information m a convenient box The sound s attractively mnirnai - the swop' ot hitting the ball, a tew cases when you land r a rer or go Ihiough the 35 ot a tree - and it looks, functional Pleasantly tional. though ■than The Ed: Yes ixmg. that's the word I'd to deserve it.

Cynical, maybe, but this is why people like lo escape into TV. books. Mms and computer games - lo take a break Irom the overall crapness that is their lives. A good programme, novel, movie or videogame does ihe inck quae admirably, but a bad one tails lo disguise the tact that you're only slanng al words on pages, cramped into a cinema seat or oglng a TV screen, while your life goes on around you

A game ol Robinson's Requiem, a 3D view-outot-a-wvidow and dick-on-icons drama, goes like this Walk around a b»l through a barren desen with a lew irees in it and walk east ihrough some mountains lo ihe debris ol your ship Click on ail the pieces and collect five b'ls of wire and a medical kit Go south to a lake, meel a man. punch him. nick his stuff Cui down some leaves Irom a tree, make a hat. Ml your bottle Irom ihe lake, cut down some branches, make a hre, boil your water and dnnk it. Walk around Find some cauliflowers Eat them, walk up the mountain, stab an eagle, walk back, crawl past a tiger, run nghl. enter a cave, and so on, and so on And so or Etc.]

WALK

Blasting your way around space m Super Stardust makes you teei as it your eyes might pop out of your head as you whizz through the techmcaty aweinspiring tunnel sections, and that your knuckles might drop

oil as you clench them around your loystick tor pin-pomf accuracy during the Thrust-like sub-sections Theme Park makes you leel like your head is swelling as you play god. with leai ol your brain imploring should something go hombty wrong

WALK

RcCwtscn's Requiem makes you leel like you've been told to paint a lence and you've just discovered it's Mieen miles tong I know that I haven't isally talked much about the game here, bul honestly, there's very little lo say You' window is exiremely small, and si low resolution (which you'll need lo use on a standard A1200 lo play at a decent speed) you're hard-pushed to even tell what hall ot the objects are Billed as a Survival Simulation , there ate toads ol brts lo do wilh your personal health (the blurb

promising ihai you'll gel struck down by flu. and may even have to amputate a limb at some point), but all this means is lots ol bars and

charts and electrocardiograms, and not much action I'm templed lo even tell you Ihe cheat mode, which shows Ihe position ot all Ihe obieets on ihe map (normally you're forced lo walk up dose lo everything and dick to see it there are any obpcts) and allows you to teiepon (ridding you ot massive strolls Ihrough barren scenery) as it makes the game tar more playable (or. rather, tar less annoying) but. obviously. I can't Robinson's Requiem did little to tickle my lancy. and I'd be surpnsed it it'll do much to warm the cockles ot ihe matonty ol RPG Ians either.

• RICH PELLEY

s' x UPPERS Lot* ot f 5- J different locations (Jungle.

village, volcano, graveyard etc) and. tr, that's aboul It really.

® DOWNERS With no

(polls, no form ol chancier selection, no resl personalities and straightforward puzzles. Requiem plays almost like a kind of lint-person perspective Dizzy than a proper RPG.

THE BOTTOM LINE

As e Survival Simulation it does 11s bit - you walk round. _ _ .» survive, bul would much rather be doing 2

something else. g *

THE BOTTOM LINE

ACAAA Iw pouf*1 Cheaper) “ 3 VV A500 version will be released at Ihe tame time as the A1200 verafon. It'll probably be much the same, so I doubt we ll ever bother lo cover K.

Almost, but not quite In tact you! realise that the 3D battles are terrtte You •y around m a dodgy-looking spaceship « rie other spaceships wheel about «n the sky at around you There are so many ol Hern thal you ve no idea which ones lo Shoot, and you'll quickly discover that your spaceship performs much betier it you just leave it on autopilot And, given that you've got the option lo skip the battles completely and let the computer work out

the results automatically, that's what you’ll Imd yourself dang

BLOW

Sfarkvdis thus reduced to an inteisieiiar strategy game, where, in a vaguely interesting retro scenario, you're a Middle Ages-style feudal leader struggling to become empeior ol ihe galaxy There are lots ot other earls and fords and things, and to get anywhere you'll have to form alliances with them as wee as light them Members o< your own family are particularly important to your success - as long as you treat them well, you can generally rely on your ohspnng lo come to your aid should you find yoursed outclassed by a superior fleet

To become ihe emperor. you've got to conquer as much ol the galaxy as you possfofy can.

gradually amassing ships, weapons and resources until you feel you can have the Current emperor n a fight There s a bit ol trading involved, but you'll spend most ot your time poring over slar maps, studying your rivals to see who it'd be best to attack next And this ts actually pretty good tun.

There's a greal sense ol achievement when another planet ta*s ixvler you* non a*e. and it's curiously compelling walching your empire slowly expanding, wondenng wheiher your next battle could be your last But i s not exactly taxing - with judicious use ol the save facility you should be able lo secure the throne within an evening or so

BY BLOW

And al the time, you're fighting against (he oddest control system I thmk I've ever seen You use the mouse la move from one bit to the next and select things Bui there's no pointer on Ihe screen To select

something Irom the menu (there's only one per screen], you press Ihe mouse button and then move the mouse up and down to highlight options in a rather haphazard manner If works, but it seems a strange way to go about things The alternative IS to use keyboard shortcuts, but there are so many difterent ones it's impossible to remember them al And it keeps Nanking out the screen and wnhng "Loading - Please Waif (although it recognises external drives and ts hard drive-installable)

BATTLES

When you consider that Stadord actuaty wem on sale about three months ago. and it s taken us this long for us to get a review copy from Microprose, you perhaps get some idea ot their confidence m the game Really Sunord should have been sent back lo the drawing board and had the tortious 3D bis torn out and thrown away and the strategy pari beefed up. And this Irom the chap who brought us the wondedul 3-dimensional classic Midwinter Shame on you.

star maps zoom In and out nicely. Some ot the graphics areni fob bad. It's a vaguely originat(iah) idea. '

y'-'X DOWNERS The 30 f If J battles are iH-conoghred.

V_/ despile looking qulfn

impressive And once you strip those away. Ihe resl ot Ihe garni ends up looking a bit thin. Shoddy control system.

THE BOTTOM LINE

If you vh bough) Starlord already, you're probably nol completely disappointed with It. But those who'vnftt to lake the plunge would be adviand to move away trdm the poolaida and raclolha Ihemselvej. Er. ~ ,

51i

THE BOTTOM LINE

_ A tew extra painti

AI 2 0 D should be awarded to

the game when played on an A1200 for not being quite so sluggish and unworkable aa It la on the A500

G

AMIGA POWER NOVEMBER 1994

***&“* **4***'

,ht um --.

real match, rather than colourful pixels endessly Cyding through a running routine Which ol

Runs on: A500. A600.

A1200

Publisher: Electronic Arts Author: In-house Price: £30

Release: November 18th

here's something lading n FIFA International Soccer and it Shard to say what I've played the ongmal Mega DRIVE verson quite a lot (expt£-~'-g why I got to review rw men though I uTiiaSy stay away trom football games lest my preiudc« show through) and enjoyed playing >t heaps more than I d>d this vs:icn.

Judgng i as a conversion trom another formal (winch some may ague uni a lair appraisal, but 111 cover mat m a Mi the most obvious thng is that there's masaas o(dak swapping Now you can castigate cartridge games on moat trents, but dospue their ndeulous cost and frequent oAance oIcontarmg Wand

pladorm games, you can i complain about the accessing tme Yfrjjust slam m a cart wail a tew secout m-o. yup. meres your game Fifa or peep- .ugfonaover.

i a m«ti (wm t

before you play the gamp Thar* a ncfcciious six minutaaiaki Sudkk . before you gel to p«f®joesr1 Hoc there - you also have to swap dpn i hatf-bme (to be told si halt ihh when you pause the game AMT EA. alter the initial load the A1200 version keeps the data m memory so < s much better the second time anxmd (irhrnh, ol course, doesn't help A500 or A600 owners) and. anyway. . ,

you should be playing ;

from hard drive Yes —

Cheers

There a tu Aii swaps) .nltoop vapEPsat

dreaded

Street Fighter 2"

toe way you toy moves such \ headers and three buttons ol eve been

Arrxga

r <■», *«• *

keyboard, so 1 -»

weh a thumb- l . > .

controlled Bug

pystek held in La I WjST

one hand, you O I'T-QU'

can cover the T3 w J T

keys with your W

other hand It's a M hdtSy. but its

instantly preferable to the One-button (Oyshcfc option which randomly gives you soma (but nol all) moves m that dreaded Street Fattier 2 context sensitive way Okay, that s comparing it to the

Mega Drive version over with, so let s press on and see how t taias as a game m a own right. Welt, there's no gettng away trom the tad that the graphics are peal The game s got the look and teat ol a lelevtsed match, from the familiar TV camera angle to the slightly cheesy American commentators who c traduce each match

BThe animation and scroikng are both smooth and naturallooking. and (provided you can master them) tha special moves vary

And even check on the other foalie, ■he's look I of a bH loll and loacly.

Allhough we dldn t dock any marks lor It, wad like lo point SATAN. Do we get cheaper games because ol It Or

out that gratuitous advertising In games Is the WORK OF cheaper lootball boots or VCRs' No we bloody well don't.

causa is exactly what they are

Despite the sue ol the characters end the cunous angle, you re still left with • usable playing area, although you're at tt* mercy of the game when it comes lo long passes Iron mdtolti Throw-ns and goal kicks are sMIluly dean with by jaifcng the kicker in a small box in the comer of the screen leaving you tree lo roam your cursor around the rest ol the plch lo decide where he's aiming kx.

Wang on - throws-si1, surety - £tfl As a Inal method of overcoming the restrictions d the limited vstfe aiea. a coloured arrow points to ihe player under your control whan ho t oif-tcreen. end between hem. these lithe treks pretty successfully overcome the large eerie equals smell paying area problem

whai I wanted durng the games I played, and my suspicions were confirmed when I selected a two-player game aganst an uncontrolled, inanimate joystick.

Despite hevmg no one at the helm, the other side consistently tedded my men, nlercepled my passes and, more often thal not. saved my goals. And I'm nol taking about moving men into posibon here. I'm talking about the computer running In, tackling my man and then runrwig oft with the ball With this much computer xitetierBnce. ninring any dstance ''*> with ihe ball proves cnpossOle and the action looks mote like ihe pack violence ol a rugby patch than the ordered play of tootoal with computer-controlled players dashing el over the place

As a consequence, playing against the computer's pretty much Ihe same as playing against a human, and! was letl with the nagging teelirg that I was merely assisting the computer in the game - and playing second Idda to ihe CPU is bad kx the wekremg ol the soul I don't know.

I haven't played the Mega Drive version

"Maybe the original was ' tike this"

tor ages so maybe the ongnal was like this And maybe Amiga gamers are used lo less attractive, more interactive games, and maybe the way Ihe computer teams don't bother with the flashy, crowd-pleasing moves doesn’t reflect tellingly on their usefulness in a match. But I tealy can t see loofball game supremos going kx a game that's as soft end mushy and vague as tha one Still It does look great ihough, doesn't a

• CAM W1NSTANLEY

Hi J

Wftch leaves the 0E*e itsetl Nol tang partacuterly skillful at any football game, and pretty much unahlBlocd lo gripe aril the Mdy special move.,. Irt played most of my games against n real person « X can be acknowledged as a real parson) and only a lew agamsi the computer 11 makes Wife difference who you play against though Con noting your team, one thing quckly becomes apparent - youre nol conlrollmig them very much I suspected my teem was nol really domg

® UPPERS tt looks

fantastic and you can score the sort ol exclllng. glamourous, over the head or diving In goals that Sens! players can only dream ot.

® DOWNERS Endless disk swapping and accessing, over-intelligent computer-controlled players, a distinct lack of dribbling play and loo many lunctlons for a single button joystick lo handle. (The keyboard option Isn't going to work unless you've goi a smell joystick or a slleky-on-tha-desk one. because you need to use both stick and keys al once.)

both during play and to load, which It worth a lew percent more. Still that spongy soft game control though.

Panasonic

AMIOA POWER

RUGBY LEAGUE COACH

devoted to rugby

® UPPERS Well Ihoughl-oul presentation and a highly detailed

player/lrainlng structure give Ihe game a lirm basis lo build on..

® DOWNERS but a severe lack of player information and no help when things inevitably go wrong quickly brings everything crashing down Unless, of course, you know everything there is to know about rugby league. (And like playing guessing games.)

THE BOTTOM LINE

I can leel a if you like rugby league, you II love this -type line coming on. but I absolutely refuse m 4* la fall lor it. (Pity it's L*W exactly what needs to M

be said, then.)

THE BOTTOM LINE

AOft H s as different as H! ZVv rugby league and

rugby union. Escepl you don't gel paid In one but not Ihe other. So It's exactly Ihe same. In other words.

losing The only option is lo change Ihe (raining completely ri the hope of stumbling across an answer Very annoying

Shame lealiy. I enjoyed playing around with the game and linding things out (and being spoken' lo by ihe characters in a bizarre single-sample-repealed -al-vanous-pitches way) bul then I came up agamst ihe lack ol match analysis, the repetition and the way your interest fizzles out because ol. er. the lack ol match analysis and ihe repetition it's Ihe cfiquohness. probably - it you don't really know your way around the sport, you won't gel anything out ol it (And it you do. you're siill going to tall foul ol the hopelessly stab-m-the-dark approach)

II you want a good management game, you're still befler oft with On the Saif World Cup Edition Thai s about football, but you can prelend it's rugby league Or something • PAUL UELLERICK

So then Rugby league, eh Nol my tavourite sport but. hey, I'll fry anything once (Heh, heh Try Geddf7) (Ho ho-- fcfcke Wamg) And anyway, it s not as if I actually have lo attempt to play the sport, because (as the screenshots give awayj this is one of those management-type games Wen, at teas] it's not another toolbai one

CHARIOTS

Descripts stuff first You're the coach of a lowly thrd-dnnsnn side, and you want to nse lo be national coach You do this by winning games, and you win games by

in

<D

3

PAUL. '

you «« rwrcpesreo in

rZP-4TRZC«. OMY, INTAKE

How wucJi do foa r«cfceo he's wonfa ifccaT C3.S47 or C4.

BuyznG ME AH Offf

- digital up and under arrives.

looking alter your players Looking after' n this case translates lo tailoring a player's framing so it's both appropriate and interesting (yup. the players get bored) white balancing the team's abilities as a whole and decxkng who does what an Ihe held On top ol that, you've got to keep an eye on the finances so that you can a ft or fl to buy piayets. tend oft the local journalist who

So now on to the critical analysis lot which AMIGA POWER is legendary (nearly) For a start (and obvious as this rmghi seem) the game assumes a knowledge ol the sport Unless you're amazingly devoted lo rugby league and know your props Irom your centre backs, you're gong to have real problems working out Ihe best training lor certain players Also the lack of statistics works agamst the game - because you don't gel a detailed breakdown at the game ycu't* just lost, you don't know what you re doing wrong and so keep

Hey. man1 Like, dig those h<p shades' Sony I spent ages trying to come up with a suitable, winy and possibly relevant intro lor this review, but why put so much creative ettorl into that when none s been pul into the game'’ Exactly So bear with my

like a right one in that

brown anorak

imaginative lethargy as we trundle through the latest m a seemingly unstoppable kne of cool' characters Meet Charlie J Cod And his platform game

I lots Of running as / tar right as you can, / a change of scenery r every lour levels and a simkar increase in . ■* difficulty But

without1 any real reason tor ptay.ng it. Tch

And. peculiarly there's j

no port at all to cc - .. -s

■ L.T r

” y . - ’ ' ■ ■

points Surely they

could have been used 1/

to give you some sort ol ---

Mano- style benetiY’

In ns delence. there's a great (and original) touch kt the game wheieby you can make Charlie good or bad depending on how many goodies or baddies you kil, and so alter the end sequence Otherwise, it's standard stuff even down to the secret rooms There's

'"■ iT nc,(l'f>3 ,0 recommend it

, - (Mir [US! about any oil

platform game you

THJ I could mention, and it's

JkiH . Bee

has been brought into b y existence at ail.

• PAUL UELLERICK

"Somey or even blank"

PLATFORM V GAME

Now. I'm the one who likes playing platform games, so I know what I'm taking about There's nothing exotmg. challenging or tun about Chart* J Cool, tn direct contra Action ol an accepted platform wisdom (including the edicts proclaimed by the mighty judges of Kangaroo Court) the game's exactly the same level 28 times in a row Okay so the graphics are different from world to world, but the gameptay >s identical throughout And it’s not as if the graphics get better or anything - lor a full-price release they're distinctly band, and with the likes of Ron V)' Tumble showing how atmospheric backgrounds can be, there's no excuse tor ones that are dull, samey or ever blank

M s nur duty as we mnstwntv tel peotpia. to cover a* Anvga releases (Except the one* we don't Rry-w»vgh r enportaf* reason ot another - Ed) So this page it ust for the 10*. 01 you that own hard drums and A1200s Reunions A one ot those

strategy adventure *acage<-3

crossover Jimes that s notonoualy hard lo review / because it takes so long to / play The bods at r v

bine about (ha Cnmeial underworld In lad. I ddn'l even know there was one unlil Panorama did something about il a couple ol weeks ago As * turns out there are members ol our community who, rather than earning an honest Irving as bus drivers coal rtvners or creators ol the world's mightiest computer games magazine prater instead to amply enter peoples houses while they re out and lake whatever they need Without even paying lor a

IT PAYS

And its usi this sod of behaviour that The Out Anns to reproduce You are

Rather than eamitag an ianeiljlvlng

or

Matt Stuvysutl, a young chap who's arrived in 1950s London to seek his lodune (Or. rather, other people's.) And. although you don't know much about the rts and ouls Ol crime, you do know that burgtanes are pretty tricky to pull oft on your own So the first thing you need to do <s scour the cftys pubs and bars lor accomplcaa Various people anil present themselves, and it s up to you to deckle who's got the necessary skiRs and seems trustworthy

In dong so. you'll come across one Mow who n set up you< first job' lor you. suggesting a total-cr (a news stand in a remote location) and providing a getaway car ideally you II need someone to drive the car. and something to p>«e the till open with, bul olherw.se mis shoiid be pretty straightforward As your heists get tagger and more complicated (there are 20 buddngs to

infiltrate, the last being the Tower of London), you'l have to worry about alarm systems, guards, sale doors and polce patrols. And even it you bag the loot and escape, you'll need to evade capture by the police, so be carelul not to leave any Clues, and consider having your car resprayed if il gets spotted

SHOOTERS

Yea This is a German game, and the translation if rather patchy. It's never L impossible to understand what s going on. but the atmosphere does suffer The user interlace is pretty shambolic, too. You have lo keep moving (he cursor between the bottom ol the screen, where you click on words lo perform actions, and the lop ol the screen, where lists ot options scroll past lor you to choose from - the pictures m between are purely decorative'

But the bet that matters -the burglary-planning bl - does aclualy work quite well. Having cased the omt to locate aterms and things, you then go back to your hotel room and work through each slap ol your raid on a map Everything needs lo be planned, down to who il keep lookout, who'll disable the alarms and how you'll escape afterwards Once you've done ell that, click on Bun the plan' (or something] and your team will go mlo action.

It's definitely belter than it appears at first sight, and certainly gels more fun the more you play, and it s undoubtedly an original idea Retieshingly original, in tact

But oh, I don't know The presentation really does let a down and the lakng-tmts-around-London stuff gala a bit tedious whan all you realty want to be dong is breaking mlo people's houses I did quite tike it. bul I honestly don't think I'll be playing The Clue ever again • JONATHAN DAVIES

S' \ DOWNERS Why ve they ( ) hall-burlad tl In a crip pseudo-poinf-'n’-cllck adventure' The presentation's a bit dodgy, ihere are bugs in It (like people talking to me about %a'i, whatever they are) and the translation's ill over the place.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Persist with The Clue and you may well have some tun. But I honestly couldn't summon up the enlhuiiasm to keep i A -playing. There's too Af I “ much lifting about In Nil ~ between the good bits. ** ~ *

60

THE

BOTTOM LINE

A12!

i r There's a separate

' AGA version with

slightly prettier pictures.

AMIGA POWER NOVEMBER 1194

ON THE BALL LEAGUE EDITION

But they’re not, if the evidence is be believed. On the

to

ball, that is

Game: On the Ball League Edition

Runs on: A500, A600,

A1200

Publisher: Daze Authors: Ascon Price: £30 Release: Out now

(which meant you « * ' ,

had 10 watch the lirsl -i v

hall carefully lo make \ sure ihai you criticised or praised the nghl player) you ,

now choose which section of MA your stadium you want to upgrade DULL. I was looking forward to the transfer market, but T it's been bodged - you can only try to > sell your players twice a season and when you succeed they nearly always reluse to leave the dub. saying thai they want to see out their contracts

The random events have suttered as we I Gone ire your prayers' romantic liaisons

some ol the most

,,

n

toot ball maragement games Events such as your ‘being recognised as one ol a gang of hooligans at the last match despite wearing a mask" lor example, or 'raising C6.000 through autograph signings’

Other imtatmg inaccuracies include an over-sensitivity to —

immediately previous results when the game is calculating gates His f a M sity when making up attendance figures' - £d) For l example, I was playing fc.

Manchester United (not through choc*, but

tram a sense ol S x j prolessionalism).

We had lost the previous match L

Oh dear I really expected this lo work Having reviewed On The BaS (Wortd Cup Eaton) m AP41 and given it a massive 85V. tar its ’giaat gameplay. lovely graphics and deep involvement'. I tind myseil hav.ng lo tell you why the football

maragement game that - 6.1

I've txsen Bokin k maid

lo all season doesn't b

quite seem to deliver Ihe

goods Brian

20,000

The League Eaton ot On the Bat gust doesn't have the charm ol the World Cup version It's a halfway decent tootball simulation, perhaps a little too hard, but one that reactt n a moderately reabsbc way to strategical changes you make And the lovely graphical interludes are still there, so that when you score a goal you're not just clocking up another digit, but get to see the cross drift r and one ol your players go round a dibndir. or your sinker wallop in the glorious 30-yard vodey However, all ihe kttle plot devices that made the World Cup Erkaon such tun to play have rfcsappeared and been replaced by the tawdry substitutes o< finances and stadium renovation Instead ot giving your players a half-time takmg-to

. W/n which was a European

mmSt Cup game 6-0 We were

however playing at Old Traftord. against Spurs and we were TOP OF THE LEAGUE What was Ihe gale lor this fascinating encounter1 A paltry 6.400.1 doubt if there's been a gale that low at Old Trattord this century Next time we played at home we'd won the previous two games and the crowd was over 40.000 Not realistic

LEAGUES

I talked lo the nice man trom Date who brought this round and a tale transpired that would explain why this version isn't so good, it appears that they had this League Eaton m the summer, but as there was no football being played in England, they decided that a World Cup Eaton would

do much better and so the League Edtc~ was re-wntten. all Ihe horribly tedious financial bits were taken out and a topical World Cup storyline was implanted This obviously gave them the opportunity to tweak and improve all the bits they didn't like and create a game lhat was more fun ail round Alter all, the World Cup is more enlertanmg than League Football m real life loo

Unfortunately, the downside ot this a that the League Eaton now looks a bit ofd and not as polished as the World Cup game It's still a decent game, but not on* with tie p>2a« and raumatau of Ascon't previous offering.

There's dAfiretety a txl of a tooCvav theme to thts issue Wei. not a them* as sudv mors He a tot ci reviews fc* tootbal-type games ; HFA Soccer and On The Sal. and don't target Our tatxXous EXCLUSIVELY SCOTTISH Sew WorldolSoaxt ccwcisk) Std as I'm sura somebody araous once sad. you can never have too mjditoabai Whch bong* us ncely to Oub FooCa* The Manager, stowing that engh you can t have too nucti too*»i you can have too many management sans te sura mere are sal plenty ot new ideas Mean be implemented rto a management game It's pus) unfortunate that (Xo Pootoal doesni come up watt any and jses me ones we've si seen before e>

*ts» can I pul ttxs bacty

A BIG LIST

■ nc ratneri ot wntng a lew hundred ■ords Siout me game and what it has and hasn't got. how about a list ol good and bad rents ilualratng just whal the game has got9 Vtes

GOOD POINTS

• At the dwstons are nduded

• There are loads ot lattes charts and (ads to took at

• The conn ate al neety tael out

• The transler market s easy to use and mdudes a nee son opbon to fend exactly the player you're tookmg tor

• An easy-to-use formation edxor

• Easy to read and alter squad set-up

• At the end ct each week a

kst ol scores from al the I

dmstons. cup a Ad European I

matches we appear They're ' '

printed very slowly and you don I iMPy need to see them But you carl skp them

• When you save the game a automatcaly qute So i you only meant to save your progress, you now have to reboot me game Thais players like me who save every M or sur games done tor. then

BAD POINTS

• Dreadu anenabon sequence on when ever anyone gets a shot on me goal (Thankfully you can turn these oft)

• Al Ihe data (league posaons. scores and the Ha) is only igtdated every week and nol alter every match And as you! mostly play two games per week, you imObngly can t see how your next opponents dd m thee Iasi match

• Too many ditereni grapfxcs styles to look

at. You have Igurea tor each ol your players a bar system to stow tow they j have performed m game and a very a*y j bar cLmg the match itselt to stow the I action pasamg back and forth between 5 the teams You can't focus on wtos ' dong beefy or who's dong wet and so you can t really form a strategy • The speed ol the matches 8 ai wrong in slow mode a takes

-- about he rtwxdas lo

J play through one

match. In last mode it rockets past and you £ i7! haven't a due what's

i .*»<** si nongon

m aiarvr f .raj w m ■ i ~

And I mink mats atoul rt So basicaly what we've got here « a competent and poierttaty decent management game HI down by some bady mptemenred daat and even a couple ct txqs (I complalHy destroyed a game I was playing just by saving it and the game crashed on me while tryng to sutaaMde an r ixid player Thera ate rtrmeiy better management games hr ttxe around tor the AMIGA. and more v- the way Either wx* with the one you've got. or wait tor me next wove Just don't gel the one. that's aH • PAUL MELLERICK -

—-77 9- Mt»r‘ *rr \

—m 1

DIVISION

WEEK 6

II CtflC nXXMCM

MR CSKA HOSORM

1U MCfr mm UNITED

m CK£K MUXMOM HI C SKA NOSCOU

2IS I0LTON UMCCKA1

Hi LCICCJTDI CITY

>0 CfcCMt M.K ■

« LCICCITEf. CITY

III W JTAH KLCMCC

AC MU At a

LdccsTn erry

M MILAN LflCNTt* CITY

cmm: altxmam ixiccrrcA city

OOv» ATACTIC Lciccrm city

UVCP.rOCL

1

THE BOTTOM LINE

A1200 H * • hit filler

' P7 displaying ih« results.

Jkk It vkal kippcMd lo af fit

Mffal *• 1«

CL1C* ro* tXT A*G£

AMIGA POWER NOVEMBER 1994

“In-game music is a tool off the devilf” contends Jonathan Nash. IMPERIL YOUR ETERNAL SOUL by disagreeing. Go on.

on lhe screen - a Ireely

admittedly difficult task

loi, unless the game is

something like Dragon's TNi <

Lan where you have little ■ <k*i

choice m the matter. , 49sm

there « no way tor the

musicians lo anticipate

wtiai you're going to do

next But how do they try , ,

to solve this inlunatingly jbtA-

tricky problem Do they i *

work in coniundion V

y with the A

designers lo

identity sections of the game where terxkng the music a quietty dflerent shade would subtly alter the aural atmosphere1’ (And we don't i mean the obvious, crastvngfy . (arnng step of entirely changng . y the music when an end-ot-tevel boss appears ) No They do one ot exactly live Ihngs

Friends n game music is a tool ot the devil A bold slalement. yes. and one shorn ot lhe characteristic three-paragraph tangential introduction. bul a slalement ot incontestable truth It s easiy provable

that the first thmg A

anyone does V

uponplaymga a(

game e to turn

all the ei-game « '

music because \ f :

NONE OF IT IS * ~

ANY GOOO None ot

4. At Oh. there might '*'• m

be a tow games where you

hoar the tune and unbeetle your brows

almost approvingly, bul you certainly

.touldn't put up with that piece while you

were actually playing

The reason tor thus universal failure ot n-game music s, we i*e lo thmk m our rmghty manner, lo do with what it s trying lo do It's trying to complement the action

3. IF THE GAME IS A BEAT-'EM-UP

They write a thunderous drum track with bleeps that get taster and taster to reflect the increasing exoiement ol the bout

4. IF THE GAME IS AN ADVENTURE OR RPG

They wnte a lutey piece or. it the game isn't about ores, a formless ’ambient' thing (Or. it the games Monkey Island. some rubbishy bars that ptay once every 45 minutes t

1. IF THE GAME IS A SHOOT-EM-UP

They write a thunderous drum track with some bleeps and gruffly mktanslc samples and echoey reverb because, wel. the game is el about shooting, and there are explosions everywhere, and that speis techno ftght

2. IF THE GAME IS A CUTE PLATFORMER

They write a rmky-lmk piece *

with round, cheery >*. A,

samples because. y know, it's Inenrfy and. wel cute

Now this is all well and good, bul the big big problem a lhai however well-written a piece ol music, it won't last the length ol your game It vntl. m a word. REPEAT And. as anyone who s had to sit through j daily playing ol Someone s Favounle Song. Oh Come Or It's A Classic. I Know You Like it Really. Altogether Now With The Chorus. REPETITIVE MUSIC IS INCONCEIVABLY AWFUL

But what can be done Despite the vahant and welcomed eltorts ol piogrammers nowadays lo leave out the m-game lune altogether, many hours ol hard and decent work are still being wasted on writing pieces that while sounrkng line and dandy under laboratory conditions, mutate into TOOLS OF THE DEVIL when released to toe wider world

5. IF THE GAME IS ANYTHING ELSE

They run around lor a while and took

worried, and then

V • pretend it is a

, * shoot- em-up. or a

cute platform game, or a beal-em-up.

eO' 01 ,VI

► Tp -2 .' .

SCORE SS77S nOMey 545'd

STOBF 57574 rtURty 457

OBEY US

We. me supremely arrogant bangs ol AMIGA POWER who have seen Pulp Fetor months before you'll gel la) have he answer using genuine music to play games by.

An obvious solution, you may think, ri not one that entirely contradicts our previous loudly clever and rasa Me comments, but we suggest a refinement. Context sensitivity In a him soundtrack-ike manner, the changing action on the screen n reflected in the changing music. U*mg some stereo headphones, an ekJerty jukebox, strong castors, some complicated wiring and a string we have fashioned a primitive context-sensitive nuscal accompaniment machine But it you've not the equipment lo hand (and beamg m mind our sheal ol patents pending), mis exciting new gaming experience can be adequately reproduced by a contederaie with a large slack ol records, a gramophone player, nimble fingers and inspirational stones such as mesa

DOGFIGHT OF DOOM)

Player 1 (thinks) The tamous overture lo Mo2art s Marriage ol Figaro A pleasant and relaxing piece fpunnl. Player 2 must be tar away (The muse changes phrase to the dramatic meial swell (forte) as Player 2 comes out ot the sixi)

Sample game: Guartkan (The player has reached the stupendously dangerous third planet No kves left No smart bombs Low energy)

Player: Oh no! The mothership has released 20 bombers, and this s the level with the homing ranks that are twice as last as my ship, and the weaving TIE Interceptors and the spiked wheels A ha - the LA Sounds disco beal cover ot the cantina band song from Star Wars The ranks musl be approachng (He dives and weaves Pyramids loom up m front ol his ship, but by releasing thrust and squeezing the /Oypad he success tuty pilots if through the deatty maze) Onlooker: Caramba. He ties like a man possessed

(The players car is on the starting gnd. Surrounded by opponents The hag drops The other cars roar off leaving the player's car Ktmg But wart' What ts Ons7 Little Green Bag by The George Baker

Selection strums from large speakers The door opens and the player, dressed m a black suit and woarmg sunglasses, walks m Takes tvs seal unhumedy. Pmks up the joystick As song sides from curvmgty sedate infra to

crashmgly npkttmg second

section, player floors accelerator Ftockets around course at fui speed Catches up and passes pack Song tades elegantly as player puts up at finish kne and gets ouf j Onlooker: Whai a cool person

(The choices are made Fit-screen serial Ink up sem-auto cannon. bombs and the Arctic level Over the Top The players begn

AMIGA POWER NOVEMBER 1994

TRAPS AND TREASURES + BENEFACTOR CLOCKWISER HEIMDALL 2

M

We know not what they look like, what they do, or whether they even agree AMIGA POWER to be the greatest thing to happen to Bath since the Romans built themselves their new swimming pool. All we know is that they can play their Amiga games with skill off which others can only dream, as Rich Pelly verities..

Benefactor is a lend of Aemmeps-variant maned heavily not only by a severe lack of unongratity, but by Mehy graphics and a host of gamepfaymg Raws Like the game if takas is nspratnn horn, i has lots of levels a challenge when John W4*ams of Pailsey (a man who knows no fear)

launched hmseft tearfessfy rso and. wihoul any thought lot he own safety. rnara ed u mi codas They might be for the undergroutd levels or som§ wig. but due to appaing handwreng. I maty cant be loo sure

Laval 4 - 3JQL2M4JCK Level 5 - 3JQLGMGIGM Level 6 - 1BQUM2SHQ3

Level 7 - 1LQ3ST4EQR Level 8 - OMB12MF23Q Level 9 - 38QMKGRNLH

8 PAGES OF INVALUABLE PLAYING TIPS START HERE

Benefactor

74

Jetstrike CD32

79

Clockwiser

74

The Last Resort

80-81

Gravity Force 2

75

Syndicate

75

Heimdall 2

74

Theme Park

76-78

(Rasputin)

Always tuckers a for a good puzzle game hare at AP. we decided that we quite liked Clockwiser when we reviewed H back In August. Although no one, I might add, actually liked It enough to sit down and work their way through all one hundred levels, leaving that tori ot thing to ths likes ol Mr P Kerrlton of Lincoln. And Mr P Kerrlton of Lincoln sure knows his puzzle games...

"Whilst pttymg Heomaar 2 on the C032,' adds Martin Cooper Irom me Isle of Wight to ihe *=tdan we ran between issues 40 and 42. and the cheat we pnnted «issue 41. *t nave discovered a method ol getting loads ot money When you complete a world, don't coiect the Restart boo* w the Hall ol Worlds but instead proceed into the next world and collect as many bonuses as you can Then return to me Hen of Worlds, get the book, save me game, load up again and you sail sfcii m possession of al you have collected, but the bonuses vwfl have laappeared in the next world and are up lor grabs And as a expected lor this type at thing, you can repeat the process as often as you lire.*

SYNDICATE + GRAVITY FORCE 2

COM

(Built rog/Future Publishing)

Jus! to recap II was way back in AP2 Thai we I rsi broke news ol SyndceM it bad only ls! beer started Fieri, mas gong to be called Hn»d functors and although me (teas were mere ("You play Ihe head ol a futonstc corporation-) nothing had been Inaksed ('The gameplay may even spi out rto ftogfes. and onto of ngs and ships') Issue I7saw<aat(si proper preview CPiowded d's ncr all loo amhdvxis we may be looking at me next generator ol god sms-) and by issue 28 it had us convinced fA k y-charged saga oI cyber-nduced power struggles tvs game s gol everything 9i%*). We continued to plug our enthusiasm over subsequent issues ('An artraordnanly absorbing strategy-god snvshool- em-up-), ran tips in issues 30 and 31. printed a cheat n issue 33. broke news cl tie Revert Meson disk m issue 30 domed you ol the compiele ptayng guide r issue 40 and started our own guide to the Revolt frissons last issue (from Russel Begley oI Halifax), with an aim tc conducing tie month

And next issue, I you can wan mat long we II be indudmg me knitting pattern lor you lo crochet your own Syndicate bobble hat

GREENLAND

Kii tie guards 143 on the lowers and wail lor a car Slop it with a long-range rifle and kd tie driver Now wait carefirty around the complex peking art any guards you see with gauss-guns (or. ai a pinch, me nfle will do)

Gel m the car. drive msde. pull out your lasers and send two men to opposite sates 01 the buildng. turning mem to face you Carefully move scum down me alleys Shoeing all Ihe guards you can gel with the red target Oxcfcly kJ arty other guards within range and dnve the ambulance to the pek-up porn Don't shoot any ot the cars, though, because they’re all crammed 10 the rool with guards

ARGENTINA

Arm to wtth lasers, and have a cotple of gauss-gins on stand-by loo and move west The lust buklng is defended by smal groups ol laser-armed agents, so position yourseil aooordng to where you can see the next group are going to appear Carefully move west (keepng as tar south as posshte) only when you are sure (hat everyone lying next to you s dead, slop ri the cover before you reach the man building, am one unsuspecfng volunteer with gauss-guns and send him n Eire a tew rockets rto me guards activate Ihe stveld run lo the let! ol Ihe guard lower kd everything mat moves and cover yourse* Deactivate the Sftetd drop empty weapons, snatch arrytong that the guards may have dropped and wait tor your health and shield to recharge Step out. kill the guards, move n the rest ol the squad and. using lasers and gauss-guns, kii aJ me guards as you walk to the target As soon as the enme boss is dead the mission is over

MEXICO

Wat lor the enemy agents and bum mem

up weh lasers Once you ve kiled one or so. spM your group and move out paying Sind attention lo me guards forking just outside By now me pokceman should be on the move Stay dose to the wall and he wrt dnve past, men concentrate an tire power on me car. even 10tiers are in ihe way II might be an idea 10 leave a man or so at the start 10 grve you another chance it the others gel wiped out

NEWFOUNDLAND

Don 1 follow me scanner, instead, move lar east norm west and down the road to the pipes Foiow the ppes to the west then when they dip into Ihe grand, cross aver taka care ot the guards in me house and taint me otters 01A ot me taking housing tie large) Move lo the lamp, blow mem away persuade the man. send out a lew agents to clear a path to the pick 141 point and lead him out

ROCKIES

Arm one man with three or tour gauss-grtis, send the team west on your first turn, stop me armed agent n the centre ol tie road and send the others sour to engage the enemy F<e a 0014* ol rockets to remove He car blocking your way send your number one guy around me wreckage (not too dose or the guards might gel him), btow away me second cat and you should reach ihe car park whch you had to trash in me ongnal Syndeate Sweep the area to kill everything ihal moves Onoe you've dapped eyes on your target she's take oil n a car Foiow her Irom a sate ckstanca removing

any iroubte whch rmgfii come he< way MID WEST

To your d&advantage. every enemy ageni a armed nwlh a laser, and every pokceman with a mm-gun Deploy your men wim energy shields, mm-guns and plenty ol lasers and gauss guns Head direcSy into ihe sheleied buildng 10 the east, laser the agents and mmr-pin the pokce. and watch out tor ihe guys comng down me alley Keep adrenakne low lo reptenoh health to a maximum and when not under threat, reduce mteiigence and perception also Look around to see 4 any agents are on your tat. then make tracks lor tie targets and Ash out some ustce

15

URUGUAY

Run north to the building stay dose lo the wall ready lor some agents then, when done, hold on lor seme more, run north lo Ihe lar binding grab the medi-kk. lire a gauss-rocket to the platform above. piA oul you mm-guns and tel the enemy eat lead Run over to the dead guards, tthdaan as much energy as posstte let any guards ski akve above you have it and head to the south, preparing yourseil tor a mulMude ol enemy agents Once you ve seen them al alt (and check that tiere'ie non* foil) grab the med-kit and move out A veto damaging the cars as you to! the guards by the Science building. ump nsxta one and dnve nskte. past the door Gel oul and send r lust one man Be very carefii when takxiq out the guards because the soenbsl is partcuiarty vulnerable He s the one. inodentaly. up an tie platform surrouvtod by all those guards, so youl have to coax tiem away r order lo do them over whch mtghf mean saenhong an agent n tie process II they start to shoot, rede back outside, re-charge and go back n lor another go Energy shields w* reduce the nsk ot having to do tvs. ol course When they're all dead, nn n persuade the target, send out an agent to deer a path to the pek-14) port, ensuring that al possrte threats have been removed or the scientist will be shot and you'll have 10 do me whole thng again

GRAVITY FORCE 2

(AP39 coverdisk)

‘Our car broke down,' 'My Gran has uSt Aad" and 'There was a notice on the bus ■hch said dogs must be earned’ and t took me ages to find one " As any schoolboy worth his pencil case and PE M will know, ihe beauty ol remaining innoceni irti proven guilty can get you out cl many a scrape when confronted by persons « a position of power You can lie through your teem bul unless they can atlord me lime and energy 10 go about proving your deceit (and provided you don I crack), you will namairt totaly in the dear Such reasoning has managed to gel me through many a month ol handing my Compteie Control copy (i lale an assortment of Production Edtors never questioning me vanety ol naar-fatal diseases I claim to have caught, tie abundance of efderty relatives I claim to

have tost, or ihe ndcutous excuses along me Ikies of *Tve usl had both my arms amputated, and 4 look me rather longer than usual to type it all oul with my nose' which I am forever concerting

I know they know, ol course, bul should I ever need an excuse lor being tale again. I now have 4 'Sorry, bul I’ve been playing Gravity Force 2' a all I need say. and an ortce-lull ol guM-ndden heads wil disappear behind Iheir respective monitors, shameluty aware of me hours they have wasted playing surety one ol the lop three games of al time (and whch we gave you tor Iree1) when they really shoiAd have been wrung the mag JD managed to cover himsell lev Ihe hours he had put n by way of some ups n issue 41. but typcaiiy ha ’help proved about as useful as lasting the flammability at your best sofa by

dousing it in paraffin and torching it with a flamethrower when compared to what an anonymous Ian Irom Shepshied has to say There are many things, apparently, whch you can type in on the main menu which allow you access to a number ot optont It you type CHEAT MENU (making sure that Ihe arrow a not on START GAME-), you wil be able lo pul your kves up to 250. while typing GLAPPKONTAKT wJ cause your opponents engine to become a bit dodgy Typng ULE'. SHOW LT and BITS. BARE. ROXER' TOMAS and SNIX do things loo And in case you were wondenng. on the Lying S' race, all it says 11 (Sony Not yet - Ed) at the fop. to it's not really worth all tie trouble seeing i 4's go ng 10 be something rude (because 4 isn't). (Or ts tf> - Ed) it you do want to

DON'T FORGET

We need your lips, and (alter a brief word with JD) wa ve even decided lo provide tame tori ol Incentive. From now on the three most helpful readers each month will receive some tori ol prize - a T-Shirt, a game, a pen. a wig used from our Secret Cavern Beatles photo-shoot or whatever -10 get scribbling to. Complete Control.

Rival the exploits of Fred Pontin with our superb guide to all things themey.

a you read ids renm in We u«i ed<ion ol AP and though: to yours** that hues pieny

easy I'm gang to go down (he shops and get meeell a copy ol that Design a park. make a wad arfl <ke< sjpwxr to Cam woo wrote the review ana attnrOed rm wasn't much good a: * But notwig, but nothing, would work People tfdn't go on the odes alter you set thorn up. there was puke everywhere and no matter wnat stunts you pulled, you just weren't trtaking arty money Wei: its a good iut you bou l tfvs mag isn't r smea were go-ng to take you by hifj ora lot you y/Si what every taeyouna (that's the preferred term here; tycoon should know

MY FIRST GAME

Look, you're not emwevs/ig anybody by rusK.h.3 stnwh; me game H you don 1 sit through !*» lutona! on yOa-' fcrs! game then you won t actual;, understand the basics ol bulking paths ndes and queues II you don't undersand that then we cam help you

Sew and steam wins the rate Ro"T wasn't built r * oay tou can 1 mate an ometofle witok trm Look whal die ot <s trying to say a don't try and bued a masM park Manghi away Stan w i a sma* wetraaetamed base the! otfte at a steady though not neoem<y spectacular revenue Things won t all go wrong at the same tirro and you ■ be able to deal with problems as thsy cop ijp Concentrate on knepmg uuetomers sattshed and rests down Don't employ too many SaS straight aw»y Just manage them belter1

ftde* are to* tea 10 a srscanfoi park The ‘.m reto foe bosl and me mosi ndes can charge foe tughcsi door price get toads iron ins-fore and mala a read more money The moor important ihmg to strive for a a wtot wtety at ndaa. as opposed to a pda of caracal ones Always choose a new nde mre an anting ana If you da end up ptaong (rental ndee. mjka sure they re al opposite ends ol foe pea

PLACING RIDES

Chances are. n party games, you J trsrjjerdy place odea n me aaong pace If you make too mataka. than (fon t target that you hare a dear month before you pay tor foa nde during whadi lo detail the ortendng item II you re ps osar that daatftn* then youl foaa money since you can never

LET'S GO SHOPPING

Shops arc great, became foey prevde instant caab returns and keep foe tittle people happy There ata a uxpta ot awtxki however Tha tot a War when mala* foa urea paopta unhappy and reduces your dances of wincing foe more pfaonnt part award The coffoe shops hare their own bns but all foe iood Mai* generals War The way to da* mta fore trasr. mortar « to no* handyman on foe roulaa with tots al food stela. groLpng food n ana area can also hafo

STOCK CONTROL

The second problem with food state s the constant need, or lul Pm level, tor them to be restocked By foe tree fee advsor lets you that a shop needs reslockng it's already loo tale, so you ! need frequent vista to foe waiehouse screen to check the Wat*. Every moment a shop apaada ahut a money Out of your pocket. am foe paopta

iare always hungry

Try to gel (90 a rhythm for Checking stock levels and ordering wire It you over-order, then ary surplus a immedalety wasted Do n't worry loo much I hough because stock caa taa mlarcepled and senl back to whatever depot I came (torn sreply by re-ordering The new slock wl be ordered nstaed of the old >

You know now !>Pdl> it ton aa lay,E9 loa9 paths iwlh the rmuu > Wall I dowsn l ham to be t*e Ml At yen need to do is ftoto M mouse teteon and uu M asset keys to Had lha flesirae dneetton, wrihou any wendaeitg

You can't run fist pata or yeui own and ao prasy soee you owd to emproy a tow stall to help TO OQl Kami »« *$ » on them though Ucu yst'sa iitctead si lui'n sg TAi'rc, a rght teadong tuncha yomate

San emptoyetg handyman M moment JJb srirtsi

LN r

4

aw

■nr -i

c 0L.1

aiutw

► fc»vL

in i*wK "ALuL

PLAtL wbbU

wlrbLft »w • ALUL telwo

]

7!

Whoosh, zooom, wheee, dagga-dagga-dagga, neeeeoow, ker-blam. Oops.

o I ve been playing this lor a week JO has despaired ol me ever sub-editing a page agar and whal have I got lo show lor ip I'm on level 37

Level 37 eh1 Nol bad I was begnmng lo wonder just how many levels ihere are though, so I phoned Rasputin "Er. we'I usl check." they said There true a lew moments of static and then mey were back 'There are 1 SO combal ■even " The telephone sl-pped I mm my ned lingers ISO’ One hundred and WtyT ONE HUNDRED AND

"You're at work, you sap." said Cam. and went back to reassambiing ha GPMG 7 62mm belt-led machine-gun which has a cycic rata ol about 600 rounds per

lor the later, much more drfficuil missions when you really need them

• Be really sparing wrth your use oI hekcopters On certain levels these can be a god-sand, but aside from the Wessex you have a very limited amount ol useful ones One thing that works really well is to be prepared to fly more than one aircraft on a mission On a pick-up mason. lor example, you should take up an Aeromachi with TOW ATs on board fly along at fust above ground level and taka out all the ant-aircraft weapons on the way lo your target Then return to base swap lor the Wessex and you can fly sately along lo your pick-up

• The enemy fighter planes are a problem if you re in a poorly armed and armoured craft, but they will be unable to attack you if you fly realfy tow. 11 you re flying tow and get a bonus, keep flying low and wail lor the bonus to foal down to you rather than popping up to get it If you do that you! end up flying a fireball

• Don'i target as well thai the play area wraps round Enemy planes often wail tor you between your take-off pewit and I be target so get up in the ax turn around and fly the other way II you gauge your speed properly iftey we tallow you but never calch up with you

And that's it - enjoy'

• STEVE FARAGHER

combat missions do your best to use the absolute mmmum tome required on each mason Use the Goshawk and the Aeromachi (the two planes you have lots of) whenever possible Likewise the wee pons One of the most useful weapons a the Helffire Anti-Tank rocket which wil lock on lo almost any ground target, but these are r relatively limited supply The TOW ant 'tank rrvss. es are nol as good, but are much more plentiful and wil still lock on to targets Use these when you can it is. tor example, quite posable to taka out ships. SAMs . flak, (rucks and tanks with the TOW • Make sure you collect as many ol the bonuses as you can The later levels become impossible without a good range ol bonuses under your belt Something that's mentioned in the on-kne manual a that you can gel bravery awards lor

Ktorts w.ffi

aircraft Do this arly on The not leads lo better id more irequem bonuses, but saves your limned supply ol really lop-class ancrah

minute, apparentfy 150 levels1 So l otter these bps with some hunvfity (not very much ol course, or I wouldn't be one of the lucky tew that work lor AP

• Right first thing first Horses lor courses There a a bewildering array of modem military aircraft lor you to use to Jet Stoke and many ol them are to limned supply, so find out what each ot them a good tor by flying the training missions I don't care if you think they're boring you really won t be able to complete af the missions unless you have a really good understating ol how each plane flies

• The same goes lor the weapons Find out m the training masons wh*h weapons do what

• Once you've finely staned the

AMIGA POWER NOVEMBER 1894

80

IN SCHTOOK

Then (hey!) you need...

1

b j

L* J

4

with Rich Pelley

«**

I.-'

Iff a game has got you bafffled, then there’s only one man round here who’s likely to care - introducing the ever popular, effervescent lord off tippery, Rich Pelley.

Hello. Wilf, Future's security man here. Not lor the llrst time. Rich claims to be suffering from writer's block, and wondered whether if he Just didn't bother to write an intro at all. Steve or Jonathan would do it for him. “You must be joking.” was of course the overall consensus, with mutterings of “The lazy gif' and “Can't we sack him ” audible as they left lor home.

It wasn't until 9.55pm when I came to lock up and found Rich crying over his keyboard (with still no Intro) that I became aware of this and offered to help. Trouble is, I've no idea what The Last Resort is. In fact. I don't know anything at all about computers. It's taken me half an hour just to type these twelve lines. I just make sure that the windows are all closed and lock up everyday... (Okay, thanks Wilf. - Rich)

SIMON THE SORCERER

G'How do you gel past the

snowman'7 And what is (he glob of wax tor'7"

James Hare. Portsmouth

A To pass the snowman (in answer to your firs) query), lah to him and then melt him by eating the mints II you are still yet to come across these they are through the door (which you'll need the paper and the rat bone to open) and down the stairs Irom the location you are taken to when you dimb mio the cardboard box at the village And in

LOOSE ENDS

You may scofl, but just because I don't know the answer to these questions doesn't necessarily mean I’m a failure. (It doesn't - Ed)

o

QWhat do I have to give the skull who requests Remembrance' in VALHALLA because I am well and truly stuck without knowing.'' Andrea Evans, Colwyn Bay

Q“ln ISHAR 31 can find all the Ingredients to turn the badger or raccoon Into a human again, except lor the Kelonla Powder.” Dave, No given address

Q*Tm currently going insane because of MANIAC MANSION.

How do you open a) the garage door, b) the door beside the nuclear reactor and c) the safe over the nurses room "

Edna Norton, Couidbeanywhara

Q“l have recently purchased the game CAPTIVE 2: LIBERATION for my Amiga and I am having trouble working out how to use the bugging devices and scanners (in fact I don't even know what they do) even after referring to the manual. If anyone also has anything else useful to add to the tips published In Issue 3S, I'd love to hear horn them too.”

Ben Pina,

Dorset

Q "Recently while playing

JETSTRIKE I was flying along whan what I can only describe as an alien space craft appeared and vaporised my plane. I parachuted to safety, but when I reappeared on the runway I was in a futuristic Jet (not available from the uaual aircraft Hat) with an awesome array of weapons. Does anybody know what was going on and how I can do this again " Antony Homer, Huddersfield

QTve been following your guide to BENEATH A STEEL SKY and bought issue 40 thinking, great. I'll be ebie to finish the game now. When I use the Anita card in the Interface for

A Yes Position the cursor on the arrow beiow where * says MAIN MENU' on the prelerence screen, press

UNC-SPACE I can blind the first eye ball, but when I get to the tuning fork I can't lor the life of me blind it again H I try to pick up the fork I just gel zapped out of UNC-SPACE. Why " Mark Gibbon, Tyn* end Wear

Q“ln THE SETTLERS everything goes along nicely, but although my miners are being fed they still go on strike. What am I doing wrong " Jordan Eaton, Cleveland

BANSHEE I love the game, but a level selector would certainly be appreciated."

A GF2 Player, Shapahad

QPart two of Lm Blackman of Nottlngham'a aolutlon, as requested by Ptiil Ducker of Bedfordshire.

KINGDOM TWO Travel east or south to another landscape - the entrance to the Dwarven Caves Is at the southern extreme of either landscape. You'll require the lantern dropped by the dwarf you shoot near the entrance In order to climb down. Enter the caves and heed south - you find a spider's lair In the second cave. Pick up the rope to allow escape from the caves, go to the throne room of the Dwarf King to the side ol the next southern cave, kill him and grab the Prince’s crown. Go back and hand over the crown to the Prince who's waiting at the cave entrance. As a reward you are given some gold. Return to the caves and head for the southern exit There's another mole hill in the landscape which contains a Belt of Lang Capacity (Whatever that la. -Rich). Combine this with poison darts and a blow pipe (which you're bound to have come across by now) to make a very lethal weapon. Travel south and you will encounter a fountain In Southern Syfvar. This takes you on to landscape three." Lee Colin Blackman, Nottingham

PI GRAND PRIX

QA strange request arrived from one of those infamous people whose name inexplicably disappeared off the bottom of the page, in issue 33. “I've now played F1 GRAND PRIX so much that I find ft much loo easy," wrote the mysterious fellow, in hope that someone would set him a suitable challenge.

A “Try racing with A or W' tyres, denting both the front and rear wing before you start, limiting yourself to the first three gears. Increasing downforce to a maximum on the fast tracks (Brazil, Germany and Britain) and reducing It to a minimum on slow ones

(Phoenix, Monaco and Australia). In the worst car (that's car 31, 34 or 35). Changing types every five laps. Only using external views. (Andall whilst having your genitals connected up to electrodes, and being flogged senseless with a knotted rope... - Stuart}'

Howard Waddington, Cheshire

QThe story so far. Gary Jenkins of Sid mouth was stuck on Beach level eight, to which Joseph Robertson of Roberton proffered some advice. This wasn't much use though, as Joona Palaste of Finland pointed out as he wrote in to correct Joseph, conceding In the process his own lack of skill at Classic Level ten and Sports Level five. Dominic Connealfy of Plumstead has written In to avail Joona (he himself can't do Sports level six or Egyptian level five - anybody ), but as I couldn't quite read his handwriting Ha over to see what Michael Pickering of Hull had to say.

A “CLASSIC LEVEL TEN There are three key players in this level, a) CUMBER NUMBER ONE: Make a climber from a lemming walking to the left. Before he reaches the second drop, make him bridgebuild over the exit, then when he lands let him mine (and bash H necessary) towards the bottom left enclosed space, but don't let him fall. As he turns and heads back up the slope, have him mine right and bash beneath the metal block so that he reaches the space in the wood and turns. Then when he reaches the intersection of the two diagonal tunnels, bridgebuild him to the right back to the exit b) CLIMBER NUMBER TWO: Make a Climber from a lemming walking to the right. Bash through the first block of soli, he will fall Into the enclosed space lo the right, tum. and head towards the wood beneath the exit Bash him alternatively left and right to remove the wood and after a while he will fall info the horizontal tunnel made by the first Climber, c) DIGGER: When Climber two has almost finished removing the wood, dig down from

the start so that the lemmings fall towards I he escape tunnel at the bottom of the screen created by Climber one. They will walk to the left, tum and head up the slope to the exit Climber one and two will be working at the same time, of course, but you'll have lo time it for yourself.

~(Er. next month. I think. - Rich)" Michael Pickering, Hull

Q Antony Williamson of Skegby.

Who he The man who was stuck on Deuteros two Issues ago.

A "The game is in fact lying when it tells you that you should be destroying the mechanolds. Instead, build part of an Orbital factory around Securia to protect your system from further attacks, and a complete one around Jupiter along with a Research Centre. Now wait a while, and begin researching for the Galleon."

Jon Harvey, Glasgow

Q Justin Sira of London was simultaneously stuck on both theses games. Help has arrived."

The key to the success of this solution is not to put your own address anywhere on the bags* Alex Smyth, Sheffield

I Ben of Uttoxeter was stuck on ! level eight...

"When you start you should build two refineries and order

another Harvester from the Starport. Build up a defence by placing turrets around your base as this will be your only defence against Omilhopters. Order siege tanks, rocket launchers and carryalls, and also three or four quads to scout the enemy territory In suicide missions. A repair facility will be cheaper in the long run also. Use rocket launchers to destroy enemy turrets from a safe distance whilst defending your own with tanks. Centre your attack on (he enemy construction yard, using the death hand if you have one. Let as many enemy harvesters have it as you can, keep checking Starport for bargains and on buildings for damage There's no need to build a high tech factory provided you have enough spice silos. Mission nine is then much the same but if, of course, you've already tried all of this for mission eight and failed, then you're Just plain hopeless.'

Cardinal Taylor, No Given Address.

Q ...whilst Ian Cawley of No Fixed Abode wanted to specifically know how to build an Ornithopler on level seven.

A "You re supposed to build a high tech building, but all I did was protect my base with rocket turrets. (Although if anyone's got some rather more helpful advice... -Rich)'

John Williams, Paisley

Well, two pages, 2564 words and a whopping 15 jokes later (all right, I forgot to put any In at all), that’s It. If you want, label an envelope Questions' or Answers' accordingly (but not Questions or Answers' as a couple of prats always do) and bung It to

The Last Resort, AMIGA POWER,

30 Monmouth Street,

Bath BA1 2BW

and I'll see what I can do.

D a lew times and you should see a white v e appear r the border. Enter the transfer markel and you hi discover that at your players have maxmum statists, and you have £24 mdm to spend. Also, try slatting a game with two managers, •”d have the first put a player up for transfer. Offer to buy the player with the second, put decline with the first Nexi week, take the player off the he and he'l have scored 130 goals, and youT win £75 thousand at the end ol the season

CANNON FODDER

Q'l can't do rrvssion 19.1 missed the complete solution and I can't afford Cam Winstanley's book, so any help would be greal *

Anon

A (And I quote ) "You need three men to finish this mission, so if any get killed, ■■ s best lo press ESC and try agar. Head straight up to the bidding at the top and position the hoops to the nght side

Spirt off two men and head nght to the p4e of junk. where you'l come under fire from a jeep. The idea s to nr towards the junk, lob a grenade over to the other sde and then scoot off quddy. otherwise the )eep either shoots you, or lumps over the unk and flattens you Head these two guys down to the wal and avoid the grenades raxxng down from the chopper After a bit. itl get bored of tryng to ki you and head down to where ill land

"Hug the nght side of the screen lo

avoid (he turret, rocket the sucker, go back to the wall and stand on the while pad r front of the door Switch to the other blokes, spirt one off and £a*e hm on the whrte pad al the lop and go lo the bottom left via the bukkng r the nxddte *Once agar, you! have to avoid fire from the turrets, but when you stand on the final pad. 41 glow red and the hekeoptar w* ty over to you. Get r, ki everyone meroiessfy. and your problems wd be over ’

AMIGA POWER NOVEMBER 1994

O

A car Amd MUtai car. VtiUrdar

Now imagine (agam. if you can) amazingly smooth and Iasi 30 in-yar-tace graphics, and just when you're expecting me 10 put a but' in here, further imagine some alarmingly good ideas about customising that provide so many options, even a complete novice can jump right m and Stan racing, tailoring the game as (hey improve to reach a level they Imd challenging - yea even Irom within the game ilselt

Weil, imagine no more, tor by ihe fashionably retro use ol a trod literary device I have just described F1GP Which is now out on budget. (Although Cl 7"s stretching the qualification a little, eh Microptose )

it's a great game a FiGP - a statement supported by overwhelming evidence We keep voting it into our Top 100, you keep wtmg it into yours, and it's damn near perfect in every way Except, oddly, there's no two-player senal knk option (Oh please. Sir Geoffrey, wnte a two-player serai knk version Oh please Etc.) Meanwhile, we order you to buy this game • PAUL UELLERICK [jfl

every lime detail you’d expect lo see it you were racing one ot these cars lor real (Hence the use ot the word 'simulation', presumably - Ed).

Ail sorts ol cars, different set-ups lor each one. different tyres, practice and qualifying laps. Ihe race itself (you gat all the proper 16 courses from the World Drivers' Championship), all the stats, a proper lournamenf and. well, everything

Imagine (it you can) a luily-lledged Formula One racing simulation And by 'simulation' I mean something containing

Funnily enough, as a human being gets older he or she typically becomes more valuable, paid more and so on. For computer games the story is completely different.

[ollt+Jl±JL±JLJIZ3

THE BOTTOM LINE

It'a the baitast aver Formula One racing game. It will cater for all soria ol players, and It s one of the most detailed and. (more importantly) fun (lun! Fun!) games you II ever play.

It s so good. It s almost _ worth buying evsn if you ve gol ihe original. W m This is an obvious lie. L

PIKINt

RICK BODY 1

DANGEROUS BLOWS AGA

Runs on: A500. A600 Publisher: Kixx Price: £5 Release: Out now

Its R>ck Dangerous Bui on budget • CAM WINSTANLEY

THE BOTTOM

LINE I

Apart Irom the tact that It went a bit

wonky when 1 ran It on sn A12O0, sll

criticisms levelled at

Rick Dangerous 2 apply

■ mm 2

equally to this game.

"

Read that review

I / =

Initead. Over the page.

If-.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Sharper graphics than Body Blows, and a tag-team option and It's taster

Ooh, lltAI ImIu b*d. And pjliful

Runs on: A1200 Publisher: Team 17 Price: £13 Release: Out now

I’s Body Blows But etc etc • JONATHAN NASH

as well. But why not ust bring out Ultimate Body Blows and be done with It Or are Team 17 going to release every single version one by ona Or what

78

/ v

MORTON STRIKES BACK

Runs on: A1200 Publisher: Contused Pelican Price: £7 Release: Out now

L Reviewed This Issue! screamed me

» advert rather enthusiastically Irom page 87 ol last issue Wei actualy no. because David Parsons (the programmer) only arrived with the review copy mid way through deadline day. at which time we were alt busy doing other thngs Sorry bout that David

It the game looks vaguely familiar, that's probably because you've seen < be tore, only it was called Sm«jge then Way back at AP34, we had a risk demo ol Smdge which we reckoned was tar better than mosi tull-pnce games "We i*ed rl lots and it seems mat you did loo. because a lew months taler we got a letter irom David saying he'd had enough orders to almost pay lor ha first term at college, so hooray lot tree enterprise and a big boo lor student loans

For those that missed last issue, the advert boasts ‘accessible, addictive gamepiay and super smooth parallax scrolling, over 80 levels across 11 different worlds, many rJtftculty levels' but wtvat it doesn't say is that it's a platform

game featuring a Mr Man type character with thn legs and rickets And penguins. As tar as platform games go. there's little new or exciting about Morton You jump on baddies' heads to kill them (apart Irom the obviously spiky ones), col ted corns and Iruit lor poets, hearts to regain lost hit points. You stan oH al the left, head right and occastonaSy there'ra secret rooms to be found The only major difference ol course is the penguins

What's nice about Morton Strikes Back is that it isn'l plagued by any ol those mggty little faults we endlessly rani on about m Kangaroo Court and thai programmers never seem to take a bi nd bit of notice of You can use fire or up (tf you're clinically sisane] to jump and can

Cwd feed, ipikri bed.

turn off the Stomach churningty 'nice music to leave the pfoppy sound effects Spkes don't lull you oulnght and neither does water, so you ve always got a chance of recovenng Irom a slip 14).

What we said about the eoverdtsk sail holds then Morton Strikes Back IS better than most full price platformers, and it certainly runs nngs around that hunk ot ]unk Charbe J Coot reviewed this issue The plain tact ts that if you really

Knlyhi 10 Kins'* haw* Sawn. Sorry. I've yel a cold.

teel like you need another platform game then you should spend seven quid (six for the A500/A600 verson) rather than 20. and ol course you get penguins in tfvs Morton Strikes Back is mail order only, so cheques, postal orders and all that stutt to:

Contused Pelican. Oakfieid Lodge.

Hatch Beauchamp. Taunton.

Somerset TA3 6SG.

• CAM WINSTANLEY

THE BOTTOM LINE

Slightly more than your average platformer at a hugely m A ’ tanalbla price. II look* 7fi -good. It plays well, and M W 2 It's got penguins In It § § “

AMIGA POWER NOVEMBER 1994

>

MIGA POWER NOVEMBEjR 1004

• RICK DANGEROUS 2

Runs on: A500. A600.

A1200

Publisher: Kixx Price: £5 Release: Out now

There was no fte* Dangerous 3.1 repeat (here was no Rick Dangerous 3. The lad that some programmers straw to wme two virtually identical games and were not ashed to coma up with a third says something about the faults that lay within these games. The lad that we're not inundated day after day with people begging, screaming, pleading tor us to use our (it must be admitted, pretty overrated) industry dout to convince the programmers to return to that well loved RD theme says something about how tondly people regard the senes The tad that we don't ever see games that we re forced to call Ac* Dangerous clones' speaks volumes about the influence these games have had on the psyche ot other Amiga programmers. Put simply, they're terrible

Now there's different levels ot

ternbieness. and it s important to mahe the distndion between a poorly implemented. poorly programmed game such as Intetnabonai Rugby Challenge and a game that’s been well produced, had pretty graphics designed tor it and just happens to be a complete, rantingiy intoxicated rascal oi a game. Which brings us neatly on to Ac* Dangerous 2.

The original Rick Dangerous was set in the sod of late f 930s you get ■t an Indiana Jones movie, but that's no excuse tor It. This one's set in a sod of Buster Crabbe 1940s Flash Gordon world, where aliens are kidnapping people from London and takmg them quite literally to cave worlds ice worlds and the like I know this because I've seen all the levels, and I've seen them al because you re given the option ot lumping straight to them This innovation apparently cMn't appear in the original version and was hurriedly rushed out when it became obvious that no one could get past level two Great.

The game consists ol walking along until some hidden enemy kils you You go back a tew rooms, avoid the enemy and than get killed by tailing on some spikes you couldn't see until you

lumped You go back a lew rooms, avo< the enemy, jump past the spkes and see a button All the buttons you've pressed up to now have turned oil lasers, but this one turns ON lasers and you die And so on And So On AND SO ON

Fumbling tram one fatal situation to the next and trying to remember every pitfall (because it you target just one. you're dead again) is what this game's all about It’s not tun. not >s it challenging It IS annoying, ledious and appallingly hopeless, unless ol course you mistake a nevereodmg stream ot unavoidable and arbitrary dealhs lor a challenging level ol difficulty. And belore you ask. why this got less than the lust game even though the graphics are better’’ Wen, this was the sequel, and quite Irankly. the programmers should hart known better • CAM WINSTANLEY

THE BOTTOM LINE

Nice graphics, passable sound and good for a tew minutes, but that's about H. If you decide to ■ m 2 play on though, you'll be 1 L; sucked Into a whole II It

You know that ty *n Guaraan when you gel to Level 3 3 ana tnera are an those homing tanks and when you swoop down to shoot mem they run away taunting you to loaow them through the maze of pyramids and you try to outfox them Dy throwing the shp through 180" and suddenly rea'ismg you're being stated by a pack ol arcus tints 01 course you don't because the gem* *

only just come out But rm great at it. me and I've pushed mmryon ei**- -s*l the high-acore table

Anyway, toe pewit I was trying to make a that that lernfywgly :ecns5>£a seine Item Guantan (the jame ol champions) (thall ™ * 2si ait <b comparable in BAiculty to. we« most ol Gmttp 2000 It'S a guttawingty ha-1 game As ei laughng raucously when your helicopter goes site the taiga: zone and gait instantly shot down by 26 m eant You know

According to Cam (who's quite a big Ian ol the game) the tun lias m not dialing in and getting stupefy killed but ptayxig out a subtler, sneery plan o' hugging toe terrain, hicfcng behind txlli and popping out te destroy trmgs betar* Hiding away like a (hado* in the night According to Jonathan, who * also a big tan at the game. yes. toei'i madly it. except it's too herd Or posaibly he’s not as good at * as Cam Or loaeihing. They're certainly both tar better plots than me. anyway But nowhere near as good at. lor axampe. Guaofcsn

i crashed a lor (but you cent 0<f Wew up my own base a Id. Sew around a M scared a lot (the maps touristy dent gme any show you toe enemy is) a H p ' ®

•rtgrtsatot rttalMIUK • JONATHAN HA

THE BOTTOM LINE

Hellishly difficult to get the hang of but thrillingty rewarding once you do. Which you won't because if really is phenomenally hard Great fun though.

Except it's too hard. Etc.

Featuring in the CD32 review section this month, folks, some Amiga games with different music and higher prices. And some with different music but the same price. We are suitably astonished.

Inconsistent control*, for example, and tha realistic wrong-footing during dribbling.

Nopa. it a allll exactly tha tame awful, uncontrollable, fruatratlng and downright unanjoyabla game of football It aver wax. Ironically, tha non-playing section* (la, tha management and stall) are comprehensive and atmospheric, and lha tactl-grld' feature (whereby you can freely customise your team formation at any point In tha game) la extremely Impressive. Perhaps If they d beefed up the management

Krisalis/£30

Amiga version: 63%. AP36 God. I hate Man Utd. I hate them because they think they're so bloody good at everything. And If I hear the name Ryan Giggs again I'm going (Home - Ed) to explode In a terrifying example of tha phenomenon known as spontaneous combustion. Still, at least I can have my revenge upon them In the 'statistically correct' and highly realistic' UUPLC Wall. I would be able to if the game was any

'good' and I actually 'enjoyed' playing the damn thing.

Readers with long-term memories (or Issue 36) may remember dear old Stuart harping on about haw this game wasn't Sens!, but more like Sens! tor Kick Off fans. Now. not wishing to knock dear old Stuart, he was utterly wrong. Kick Off la a lot better than this. But hey, this la the CD32 version, and maybe (just maybe) they v* Ironed out some of those awful faults - Ihe peculiarly

elements and radically changed the weak on-the-pltch stuff (or perhaps dispensed wilh It entirely), they'd have andad up with a nice little game. But they didn’t, and they haven't.

• PAUL UELLERICK

THE BOTTOM LINE

It's the asm* as the CD3 A1200 version, except

there are a few nice pictures to look at. And thal means that any serious football Ian (or aven any Man Utd supporters) should go f 1

and buy something else fl I

Instead.

■*'*" - - - ' . . i

irrr 'iYi n TII

□

u

La

BUBBLI AND SQUEAK ♦ ARCADE POOL ♦ SOCCER KID

LE AND

AKRfi

Audioqenic/£30

Amiga version 77%, AP40 1 ■

And this It, In fact, the Amiga version, only on a CO and *Hh - yet - CD-quallly mutlc.

So, ar... yet

We Ilka Bubble and i- - *

Squeak. It's Incredibly I

annoying In placet, thanks In \ no tmall part to Squeak. He'e supposed lo follow you around and help you by blowing bubbles and things,

but ha Irritatingly seems to L—----

tike every available opportunity lo leap off platforms to his desth. Bubble seems to like him. though, and If he's okay by Bubble (who's okay by us), he's okay by US.

It's terribly atmospheric, too. Not atmospheric In a "Cor, it actually feels like we're a disused mine/lhe Arctic" way, but atmospheric In a unique, computer gamey way. The scenery is all purpley-pink. and the levels are called things like the Stardust Cavern and the Strawberry Lagoon.

The game Is also tar more entertaining than It first appears to be There's a fair degree of interaction between the two character!.

Bubble and Squeak Is not wholly engaging, but It Is good Jonathan was absolutely right to give It 77%, and its being on a CD with some music doesn't alter my opinion ol It al all. Especially as it's the same price as before.

• JONATHAN DAVIES

THE BOTTOM LINE

More fun than It is [039 annoying, and with a delightful purpley-pink atmosphere Don I be deterred by the awful drawing on the boa. as most of the mm " games-buylng public / I

probably will be. II

ARCADE POOL

Team 17/C1S

Amiga version: 91% • L

AP39

So. the excellent and

lun Arcade Pool makes

It on lo CD Following

the glorious tredilion of

games that are *

upgraded lo the super

new plastic format It's

charged not one bit.

Flying In Ihe lace ol

popular opinion, H s ■— —

still C15. All hail Team aal

17! All hail AMIGA POWER on

principle!

Aside from the actual game (8-ball. 9-ball. US 9-ball, US 8/1S bell, trick shots, tournament mode and perilously anally-retentlve real' players who are all Team 17 staff or magazine reviewers), there s a soundtrack option that wasn't there before which lets you choose between pub noises, pool hall noises or a trio of rather crap tunes. The pub and pool hall options do add an Interesting and quite believable atmosphere, and cost nothing at all because the wacky Wakefield funsters cunningly took a tape recorder with them when (hey went down ihe pub. later Interjecting pre-recorded samples whenever the real-life pub denizens started swearing.

The correlated questions I ust know are on your lips are. ‘What about the CD32 controller Surety a game lhal used the mouse is going lo

ft OLRVFD ONF

H atwayr utai a ihaoa la bnat *a

be completely crip and useless with Ihe joy pad " Well, lor once Ihe answer is no. The buttons hive been used sensibly (no pool equivalent of up' to jump. If you see whet I mean) and the slightly ragged movement ol the cursor is easily bearable. I can only imagine that Team 17 apenl some nol inconsiderable time making sura that il worked, or maybe they jutt got lucky and II worked thle well Ihe first time they plugged H In. Whatever Ihe reason, joyped control works jusl line. And you can use the mouse anyway H you really feel the need to. so there you go.

• STEVE FARAGHER

THE BOTTOM LINE

There's no reason CD32 lo change JO‘a

mark on A a -

account ol pub sound Q 1

effects so I sward it 71 -

SOCCER KIDl

tck. Sara dadyir.

Krisalis/£30 Amiga version 68%, AP29 JD loves this game. But me. I don't think much ol H at all. Yeah, it s cute and lough and playable and Imaginative and detailed and all that, but it's utt not good enough. For a start. K isn't last enough for me. And although there ere plenty ol moves to do (you use your lootbell as a weapon and whack it at people'! heads and Ihe like) they don't have a practical purpose In the game. I mean, what's the point in having the

He . j* ■ !v ■ “■ 4

up. tli ktts

I

option ol doing an overhead kick If by the time you ve sel yourself, you either kick the ball over the evil character or the ball goes flying oft Ihe screen And although you can go searching around a level lor player cards, you don't need them, so you can leave them alone H you want lo. It's only a matter of points.

That and the general awkwardnesa ol playing and progresting through the game make me Ihfnk H i nol worth a score similar lo Ihe one we originally gave it. Yeah. It's a good platformer, but H i by no means perfect. (You are qtate dearly mad. The controls are only tricky until you gel the hang ol them, which takes an hour at most Learning lo use the bell is the whole point of Soccer Kid - it's what gives the game a feeling of being different As tor the player cards, they 're obviously there to inspire you to go exploring once you know how to finish a level Steve's been

playing it tor ages, and ha agrees with me: Soccer Kid Is brilliant even If II is exactly the same as the floppy version -Ed) (Except trying to play H with Ihe CD32 joypad fa a hopeless task -they 've really messed It up. - Sieve F)

• PAUL MELLERICK

THE BOTTOM LINE

Fun, bouncy and all CD32 sorts ol other nice

words, but it's not the perfect platformer by a long way. Some good use ol the CD though, with lovely QA intro animation and QN music. (See Mad - Ed) ” ~

EXPLOIT SECRETLY THE RESEARCHERS

Well, hello Here we ere el a famous Hollywood party And who a this coming round the corner Why, it's famous Jimmy Cagney. “You dirty ret." And who's with him Why. It's famous Greta Garbo. "I want to be alone.' Well, left go out lo Ihe garden then. Why. il'a famous Dennis Potter s wife. And some speedily forthcoming CD32 games.

From the console wilderness came a tall and lonely figure. His eyes were hollow with fatigue and his gaunt features seemed to slice the howling wind in two. As he drew near he cleared his throat. “I am Paul Mellerick,” he growled. “Got any PD games I can review ”

PATHFINDER PD

Wi you jusl look at those dark moody graphics Fab aren t they'’ And it's one ol those f rsi-person perspective rolepraying fighting faniasy (Nogs as we« -things just could gel any better reaty, could they17 Okay, call me shalow if you want to (You re oh I can t be bothered - Ed) but I love games ike thus And when they re as done as well (and cheaply) as this, you can t but Ike them even more There is of course the usual plot to draw you into the game, but really ail you need to know is that it's your task lo wander around each level, clearing a c< nasty alien type things, and then moving on lo the next world (of which there ere 10 on this dsk and another 20 when you buy the hil version). Smpte. yet effective

The control system works racety (although it does take a while lo gel used to movng left and right and timng around) and the rest ol the icons are

nicely laid out and easy lo use. It's also easy lo get hold of and use objects and ihe game breaks you si very racefy indeed - the first few levels are smai but you get a lew levete et and thngs reafy staff lo heat up

This a nisi the sort of PO stuff we ike here on AP. a s easy to ■I \ get into it's very professorial f and it s also very cheap (very ] similar lo AP n (act) and I strongly urge lo get hold of ' , ,, w ttvs as soon as possible 11 *. ! t nol some bme before

RATING A dark and almosphenc hrsi-person seek and destioy adventure that should appeal to everyone If you donT like lias, you must be dead

Vi

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A »

iLLA '■ 1

tf-

_ V . • 3*2

r.D.*E-rA004*OE

FI LICENCEWARE PD

Well, he a got a comedy name, bul poor old Chilly certainly Isn't going to have a lot of tun as you guide him through level after ol level of Bomb Jack-related antics. In tact lo list the number of different characters old Chilly goes up against would take up too much space, and then there's the big bosses as well.

So H variety in characters Is what you like in a platform game, then you're certainly going to gel more than your lair share from Chilly Chavez It's a simple enough game, jump around the screen collecting the symbols as you go.

And then, once you've collected enough ol them, you move on the next level H things get a little too crowded on screen you can spin your way out ol trouble (and pick up a nice little bonus in the process), but take care because these are limited. Complete a level and

you then Tight the boss - he a got a weak spot - all you ve got to do Is find It and then figure out how to hff H.

The game is very much your average platform fodder, but entertaining It you give It a chance to grow on you. There's nol much to see after the first couple of levels, but it's not easy and the bosses are imaginative and hard to beat.

RATING: A good enough platform game with some entertaining touches but not much In the way of gameplay.

** VS

MAGNETIC FIELDS PD

So just ns* do you M a iegenav Wall, a qood Sian <s always a Ibghxis WHf "

Welcome lo Danger Mouse - me game imagine lots c! OM-iaMO levels with a lew obstacles or that you ’’l sitnpty have lo idnp over in orde> 10 7 i icarti the and. And lhai's a. Yep. no J bond itiunt, no power ups no r cfianoaeiganaptay.no

And usJ how many famous Scottsh tootnlers can you name'’ A tncky question. and no mistake Bd gnre yourse

a couple d days play on ins and you I soon know everything you ve ever wanted to know about Scottish Football

SFUs a great lootoai game, giving you the chance to take the team ol youi choice tram the Scottsh 3rd Drvisoi to the top tight wth even the chance ol playing ai Europe as wel There's al the usual squad, transfer and stats you'd expect (mm tha typed game and there s also a nee Me graphic represent! hoc ol the game wSh a small bal moving around a plch and a njrmrig commentary through the game It s a bit hard to get ailc al first, and progress is a M stow no mailer what tactes you use. bet sick with it and you actually

start lo pd some

wins together and 1 !! :l

gel out d ihe bottom dnnsnn It's nedy done and is obvwusty .

meant lo appeal lo v

Scottish tans more

than anyone Me. but us loot* manrve nutters don't care what country we re r as long we've gd tooth*

Oooh look it's a puzzle game with some pipes in a (Hotel on. rsnl tha! easier} Pipe Man* - Ed) Well. yes. but thai was a long lime ago and this is a sort ol PD variant thal costs very little money, so what’s wrong wi1h ihaP (Hotting. I was odyasteng -Pd)Right Fine Now. it's a simple concept - you've gd lo run a

pipe a certam length by connecting dflerenl shaped pieces togelher lor the water to run along O course, you re up agamsi a timer and there's loads ol different shapes lo add lo the confusion bd >t s easily picked up. yet incredibly hard to pd down Things start oft complex and gel worse very quickly, and even though the joystek/pad controls are a bit strange to begin ]~ j% ""tft you enii get used to "J 1 jf them after a while Good.

Rfil wholesome tun.

I 15 Rating ***

WHO WHERE HOW

For more details on this months games, or just to actually get hold of them here’* the detail!: The Assassins can be heard talking on (091) 529 5413, white Pathfinder PD have ail the luck on (0274) S6520S. FI Ucancewara am lagging loo far behind with I heir amazing address 31 Wslllngton Road. Extier, EX2 9 DU and lhat leaves us wttfi the exciting end daring Magnetic Fields on (0772) 881190.

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"Il s lore Ihan a straight flight sin:, D.I.D. km emulated itilli aillion dollar flight siaulators. When you plat IFX the first thing that hits you is Ike detail of Ike landscape... oier seven 1111100 square ka appears on screen, vilh hills, roads and nounlains all in the right place "THEEDGE "The graphic detail is quite superb, with stunning visuals and strong sense ol iaage, TFX is quite often like watching a aovie... when I first saw IFX ay jaw dropped so far it look ae 15 ainutes to find it again! It's fast, good looking and fun" PC REVIEW

Lockheed F-117 Stealth Figkler TFX... a siaulation al the cutting edge of aerial coahal enhanced by unprecedented in-depth research and authentic flight detail. Take on the aissions... fight for peace.